


A Loser's Log

by Zokolov



Series: Worlds Collide [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Legendary Pokemon, Mystery, Pokemon Battles, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 258,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23807491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zokolov/pseuds/Zokolov
Summary: A tortured Latias escapes captivity in Hoenn, beginning a chain of events orchestrated by the Beast of the Distortion World Giratina in its attempt to return to our world. Meanwhile, a group of young trainers finds themselves in the middle of it while attempting to seek their own place in the world.
Series: Worlds Collide [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1713463
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Welcome to Hoenn

**WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE – SEASON 2: _A LOSER'S LOG_**

On the outskirts of the Hoenn region, on a remote location known as 'Southern Island', an explosion destroyed a chunk of a hidden Team Galactic base. The grunts alerted to the scene quickly fled when they saw the crimson and white beast propel itself into the air, firing another Mist Ball to obliterate a watchtower that was the only thing standing between it and freedom.

The facility's lead scientist, Charon, was soon alerted to the location, followed by Commander Saturn, but the two were only met with a horde of panicking grunts fleeing in the other direction and signs of destruction and carnage. Saturn yelled orders and insults at the fleeing grunts, using everything in his repertoire to questioning their masculinity and making disparaging comments about their mothers' appearances, but nothing worked – whatever they had seen had horrified them beyond reason.

"Are you done yelling yet, Saturn?" Charon asked calmly, having knelt closer to the ground and observed a large puddle of sticky, jet black liquid on the floor.

"What do you think the boss pays me for?!" Saturn snapped at Charon, but recoiled in disgust as he noticed the liquid. "Wha – the hell is that?"

"She was still hooked in machinery before she fled," Charon said as he touched the liquid with the tip of his finger, bringing it closer to his face and smelling it, causing Saturn to grimace. "Even a Pokémon like that can't get very far in her condition."

"Lord Cyrus has poured millions of poké-dollars on that thing, and now you're telling us to waste more to look for it?!" Saturn yelled. "I'm sick of this region already – do you know what this heat does to my beautiful hair? And there's not a decent brunch place to be found."

"I sometimes wonder why he keeps a whiner like you around," Charon said. "We're scuttling this place and returning to Sinnoh. Lord Cyrus needs us for the promised day. As for Latias – we'll use one of our local allies to help us."

"You mean...?" Saturn said and cringed. "I don't want Archie near this project. He's a psychopath!"

"Just the kind of person we need then," Charon remarked and grabbed some of Latias' black blood with him, putting into a test tube. "And besides – it looks like the experiment worked."

**~o~O~o~**

**Chapter One: _Welcome to Hoenn_**

_**Location: S.S. Anne, en route to the Hoenn region** _

"You don't happen to have a plan?" Kris asked.

"If you can stall them long enough for me to think one up... probably not," Iris muttered.

Two sailors along with two Machoke had the short, black-haired Kris and the even shorter, purple-haired Iris cornered in one of the ship's utility rooms. Kris' Sandshrew and Iris' Fraxure were by their trainers' side, all participants assuming a fighting stance. As they backed into the utility room, however, what little room they had to escape was blocked by the beret-wearing waiter.

" _Il est bien fait, m_ _es_ _ami_ _s_!" the waiter said in a thick, Kalosian accent. "But this is where your running ends."

Kris and Iris backed against each other, Kris and her Sandshrew facing the waiter while Iris facing off against the two sailors.

"No one has yet faced _mon chaton_ Pokémon and won," the waiter bragged. "Come out!"

Kris was expecting something horrifying, but what hovered towards her instead was just a little lilac Pokémon about a foot in height. And yet, Sandshrew started to shiver, as did Kris as she looked into the Pokémon's large, purple, unblinking eyes.

"Kris, what kind of Pokémon is he using?" Iris whispered.

"Um... it's kind of feline-ish," Kris mumbled. "Do you expect me to memorize them all?"

"Can you give me anything else?" Iris asked.

"Well, the look on its face makes it look like it's seen some serious sh-"

"It's Espurr," Iris said immediately. "Psychic-type Pokémon native to the Kalos region, weighs around 7.7 pounds."

"You need a hobby," Kris grunted.

"Whatever we do, we must not upset it," Iris said. "If it loses control of its powers, the result may be a shock wave up to 300 meters in diameter. So, I recommend we do this carefully and-"

"Shrew, Slash!" Kris yelled quickly.

Kris' Sandshrew leaped at the Espurr, but a psychic shield it had erected bounced the little ground-type backwards. Iris ordered Fraxure to use Dragon Pulse on the Machoke, then charge at them with its tusks. Iris herself jumped on the back of the other sailor, putting her hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?" she asked playfully.

"Stay still, I've got this!" the other sailor yelled and raised his fist.

But Iris jumped out of the way, leading the sailor to punch and knock out his buddy. Iris then tripped the other one and put her foot in his neck, holding him still and watching her Fraxure deal with the Machoke.

Meawhile, Espurr was just yawning as it easily kept Sandshrew at bay, blocking every single one of its attacks with its psychic powers as the waiter laughed maniacally.

" _Céder_ , Kris, and surrender to your fate!" he yelled. "You can't escape it much longer."

"You know, you have no idea how often I heard that back in Johto," Kris remarked. "There was a guy who could transform into my mirror image in a second, a ninja girl who could kill you before you drew a breath and an old man who could manipulate ice. I survived them all – what chance do you have? Shrew, Defense Curl!"

Shrew stopped attacking the Espurr and backed a few feet away from it, curling itself into a ball, hiding its soft, white underbelly. The waiter and his Espurr watched in confusion.

"Now, Rollout!" Kris ordered.

Its tough hide shining as the Sandshrew strengthened itself, the Pokémon started spinning and launched itself at the Espurr, breaking through its psychic barrier and knocking the psychic-type out. Gaining more momentum, Shrew spun away from Espurr and circled around the room before striking the waiter next, hitting him square in the face and knocking him out, the waiter uttering a muffled ' _Merde!_ ' before falling.

"Yes!" Kris and Iris both yelled and attempted to high-five each other, only to miss and jab each other in the eye instead.

"Ow!" Kris wailed as she rubbed her sore, watered eye. "We need to work on that a bit more."

"Yeah," Iris grumbled. "You really need to work on your hand-eye coordination."

"Hey, I'm not the one with their nose stuck in a book all the time!"

But the two stopped their arguing and frightfully hugged each other as the door of the utility room was punched open by a sailor even larger than the two they fought before. Seeing him emerging into the room made Shrew and Fraxure do the same, the enormous sailor observing the chaos in the room.

"H-Huey," Kris and Iris stuttered simultaneously.

"I've been looking for you, Kris and Iris," the first mate said threateningly. "You had to know this was coming, there's no reason to hide any longer."

Kris let go of Iris and threw herself at Huey's feet.

"Is there no other way?" she pleaded. "Can't you find it in your heart to let this one slide?"

"Nice try, but unless you come with me now, I'll have to talk to Captain Cutter personally," sailor Huey said.

"It's over, Kris," Iris said, sighing in resignation. "We should at least do it with dignity."

"But why?!" Kris screamed, her hand in the air in a theatrical manner. "What did we do to deserve this?!"

Huey shoved a sheet of paper in front of Kris' face. "Your names are on the list, Kris," he said. "All employees of the ship have to do it when their turn comes, and it's almost ten PM: the kitchen has to be cleaned!"

" _Damn you all_!" Kris wailed dramatically.

Soon enough, Kris, Iris, Shrew and Fraxure were wearing aprons, rubber gloves and hairnets, scrubbing the grubby, food-stained floors, walls and other surfaces of the luxury liner S.S. Anne's kitchen. To maintain the high quality of the ship's food and service, cooks and other kitchen staff had to put all their effort and focus on their work, leaving the employees at the bottom of the totem pole to clean up after them every evening. Kris would have scrubbed the deck, cleaned the bathrooms, given the Captain a massage, anything to get out of the most disgusting work detail on the ship.

The other employees knew it as well, and had used every trick they had to give Kris and Iris the crappy assignments when they had come on board. Spontaneous battles had often erupted when it came to solving who got the worst jobs. Worse yet, Captain Cutter, a devout Pokémon-lover, had forbidden employees from overusing their Pokémon for straining work, though he allowed Shrew and Fraxure to roam free as the crew had taken a liking to them.

"How long do we have to stay on this stinking ship?" Kris complained as she poured something extremely potent and smelly to unclog the drain. "How long have we been here, anyway?"

"Three months," Iris said while scrubbing a particularly nasty stain on the floor. "But come on, Kris, you can't tell me you haven't enjoyed this on _some_ level! Think about all those people and Pokémon from all around the world we've gotten to see! How many people can say they've experienced the same?"

"If its gets us to Hoenn, it's worth it," Kris grumbled. "But how many places have been through already? We left here from Vermilion City, went through the Johto coastline, the Sevii Islands, some place called Oblivia and some strange ports and islands I haven't even heard of!"

"You know, the captain could have easily turned us down," Iris said. "But he gave us these jobs and allowed us to earn our way – we might even get a big bonus when all this is over!"

"And in the meantime, I have to deal with unimaginable filth gathering up under my nails," Kris grunted as she started to scrub the drain clean – she wondered if last week's crew had done it at all.

Iris couldn't think of a bright side about that, but she didn't have to, as an announcement through the ship's PA system soon answered their prayers:

" _Attention passengers. We will arrive in Petalburg City in twenty minutes. We'll make a forty-five minute stop_ _before heading to our next destination, Slateport City._ "

"Petalburg," Kris muttered, her face slowly lighting up as she realized what was happening. "Hoenn! We've made it! Shrew, get a move on! We have to get this done quickly!"

"I think I'm almost done here," Iris said. "Do you want me to bring the hose?"

"Don't bother," Kris said, smiling mischievously as she opened one of the Poké Ball on her belt.

Kris' main fighting Pokémon, her Feraligatr, emerged from it, roaring and stretching its bulky limbs as it got out after a long while. It was a large, blue, bipedal crocodile-like Pokémon with strong jaws and plenty of sharp teeth, as well as even sharper red spikes coming out of its head, back and tail.

"Kris," Iris said quietly, gazing out of the kitchen's small, grubby window in thought, even though it was too dark outside to see a thing. "Do you think we'll find what we're looking for from here?"

Kris tensed up after hearing the question. The honest answer was something she didn't want to say. But she had worked her fingers to the bone just to get this far – the answers they were looking for just _had_ to be there.

"I have a feeling we will," Kris said and forced on a smile. "After all, we have at least one lead: that Steven guy. We should find him from Rustboro City."

Iris nodded and smiled weakly before resuming her cleaning. Kris shifted her focus on her Feraligatr.

"All right, Croc," she told it. "This place needs to be spotless before the ship reaches Petalburg. How about you give it a try?"

Croc nodded and opened its mouth. Hearing what Kris said, Iris almost jumped up, eyes widened in terror.

"Kris, wait!" she yelled. "M-maybe I should just get the h-"

"Hydro Pump!"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Route 101, Hoenn** _

Brendan Ruby, a short, 17-year old boy with brown eyes and black hair mostly covered by a white beanie was cycling towards Littleroot, a quiet little backwater in southwestern Hoenn. It was where he and his family had originally moved to from the Johto region before moving again to Petalburg City. At the moment, he had two important reasons to visit the place. One was finally getting himself a Pokémon, something he had yearned for ever since he first made a dazzling outfit for his father's Vigoroth – something his father didn't quite appreciate.

Another reason was a person who had lived in Littleroot Town all her life. She was the one who had befriended Brendan when he was new in town, and someone whom Brendan hadn't seen in two years. Getting a Pokémon was nerve-wrecking, enough; having to figure out what to talk about with her made his heart beat rapidly.

What's more, it was past ten PM, Brendan having put off leaving Petalburg City until he had polished his bicycle and decorated with some cut accessories. It was dark outside and many of the lampposts on the quiet sand road he cycled on had burnt out. Quite honestly, Brendan would rather be home sewing and asking the Pokémon to be delivered it to him. The sounds of the Hoothoot and Poochyena were clearly audible, but Brendan was sure they'd leave him alone if he stayed on the path.

Fairly sure. About 42% sure, maybe.

As he passed a sign indicating Littleroot Town was just a hundred yards away, something moved in the bushes.

He was now 37% sure nothing would attack him.

Brendan stopped his bike and let out a high-pitched squeal as something emerged from the woods and stepped directly on his path.

"Don't hurt me!" he wailed and covered his head with his hands. "I'm too pretty to die!"

"Well, you certainly haven't changed," a familiar voice remarked and stepped into the light.

Brendan moved his hands away to look at the arrival. "Muh... May?" he stuttered.

May Birch, a girl taller than him with chin-length brown hair and blue eyes who wore a bandanna and a tattered red outfit smiled at him. An overpowering sense of awkwardness filled Brendan – for two years, the two had been apart, and now that they finally met, he had no idea what to say. And he was mildly ashamed of his pathetic screaming earlier.

"It was about time you showed up," May remarked. "My dad said he called you early this afternoon. How did it take you this long to get here?"

"May..." Brendan said quietly. "There's... something I want to ask you."

May raised her eyebrows, clasping her hands expectantly. "W-what is it?" she whispered.

" _What happened to your clothes_?!" Brendan wailed.

May blinked and stared at him. "What?"

"That's the outfit I made for you!" Brendan cried as he stepped closer to inspect the many tears and stains on May's shirt. "How did it get in such condition?"

May groaned, her eye twitching. "Who cares about that?!" she snapped at Brendan and grabbed him by his arm. "If you _must_ know, I've been looking around for you around Route 101 for hours, having to fight off wild Pokémon with a stick!"

"This just won't do," Brendan said, shaking his head. "Wait here, I have supplies in my bike's basket. We need emergency patching, stat!"

"I said forget it!" May shouted. "Come on, we need to get to my dad's lab!"

Brendan's weak protests faded as May dragged him to Littleroot Town and to Professor Birch's lab, where the professor, May's father, greeted the duo. Though Brendan had been intimidated by this large man at first, he had eventually come to learn that the professor was a kind, relaxed person. Brendan still couldn't understand why someone with such a spotless, expensive laboratory setup would spend his time wandering around the dirty outdoors – and wear such tacky shorts.

"Ah, Brendan, you've made it!" Birch said. "I was about to close up shop for the day. May was worried sick about you over here!"

"I was not!" May protested. "I just want my Pokémon quickly!"

"Yes, the two of you will finally begin your journeys into adulthood," Birch said emotionally. "There's something so... _beautiful_ about that."

"For Arceus' sake, dad," May snapped when Birch sniffed. "Don't get all weepy."

"I'm sorry, May," Birch said and blew his nose loudly, prompting Brendan to take a step away from him. "You were just such an invaluable help around here, helping me observe wild Pokémon behavior. And Brendan, why, without those pastries you and your mother baked for me, I would have passed out many times during my all-nighters."

Brendan grinned. "Happy to help, prof," he said. "But I'm with May – I can't wait to see my Pokémon. Just so you know, May, I want the cutest one!"

May scoffed. "It's all yours," she smirked. "I want one that will kick yours to the curb."

"Eugh, you don't want to battle straight away, do you?" Brendan said, recoiling. "How barbaric! I want my Pokémon to look the best it can first."

May shook her head. "With that attitude, you won't defeat a single gym leader."

Brendan crossed his arms and turned away from May. "Who says I want to?"

"But... what will you do, then?"

To answer, Brendan climbed on one of professor Birch's desks and raised his finger dramatically in the air, though the effect would be bigger were he at least a little taller.

"This region is home to some of the greatest Pokémon Coordinators in the world," Brendan announced. "Their mission: to spread the message of beauty across the world. To compete in Pokémon Contests and earn ribbons until they're qualified to compete in the Grand Festival and test their skills against the Top Coordinator – in the case of this region: Wallace! And _I_ , Brendan Ruby, am going to become one of them!"

Brendan spontaneously pulled a poster of the man in question from his jacket, showing a picture of a pretty, turquoise-haired man wearing a white beret and wrapped in a white cape. Professor Birch just stared, while May hid her snickering by covering her mouth with her gloved hand.

Brendan felt his face getting red as May quietly laughed at him. "What's so funny?"

"A Pokémon Coordinator?" she laughed. " _You_? Well, they are a prissy bunch, but I doubt you'll want to get your pwecious Pokémon dirty by traveling around and entering Contests. You've never went beyond Petalburg – there's no way you'll win even one ribbon. And besides, Wallace? You know he's also the Pokémon League Champion, right?"

"What?!" Brendan gasped and jumped off the table. "Since when?"

"Last year already, that Stone guy wanted to resign," May said. "Didn't you watch the tournaments?"

Brendan stared at May. "Is that a rhetorical question?"

"Well, personally, I think it's great to follow your dreams," said Professor Birch, whose presence May and Brendan had almost forgotten. "But I'm a bit curious, Brendan. I would have thought Norman would have wanted you to train at his gym."

The mere mention of his father's name made Brendan's shoulder slump and his face fall. He turned away theatrically and made a speech that he had probably rehearsed earlier.

"Yes, 'tis true," he said, prompting May to roll her eyes. "I have been planning this for months now, but my father would not approve. He would say it's a waste of time, that I need to become a brutish battler like him to 'defend the region' from something. Like what? Tourists? Sunshine? How can he be so blind? It is a tragic tale of a man overcoming his final obstacle: his own father, who-"

"Okay, take it easy, I didn't mean to incite you," Professor Birch said awkwardly. "I'm sure you'll work things out. You're family, after all. I'm not particularly keen on sending May out on the world either, but she's almost an adult and I can't stop her. Now then, would you like to choose your Pokémon? Unfortunately, I already gave the Treecko to a promising young man who had just moved to the region and desperately needed a Pokémon, but you still have two to choose from."

Professor Birch led May and Brendan to a table with two Poké Balls on them. Using a handheld device, he scanned the Poké Balls, their contents showing up on screen and allowing May and Brendan to look.

The first one was Torchic, a little orange chick-like Pokémon that was a fire-type. The second one was Mudkip, an equally tiny blue water-type with a large fin sticking out of its head.

"Neither of them look very strong," May lamented – based on what she remembered, the Treecko had at least a little more intimidating look to it.

"But both of them are super-cute!" Brendan squeed. "Oh, I don't even care! You go first, May!"

May's face hardened. This was it – if she would choose the Mudkip, she would have an immediate type advantage. But that wasn't what she wanted. When the time came, she wanted to utterly destroy Brendan, and what better way to do it than to trounce him even with a type disadvantage. After some more consideration, May finally grabbed Torchic's Poké Ball.

"All right," Brendan said and grabbed Mudkip. "My very own Pokémon! Wait 'till you see the outfit I'll make you!"

"Come over here," Birch said.

The professor showed May and Brendan a map of the Hoenn region. The geography of this tropical place was very varied, with mountains and deserts to the north and lush green forests to the east. The eastern part of Hoenn was almost entirely ocean, with islands scattered all over the place. The Pokémon League was in Ever Grande City, a metropolis on an island in the southeastern corner of the region.

"I recommend you two stick together until Oldale Town at least," Birch said, pointing at the town directly to the north from Littleroot. "From there, Brendan can cross the swampland and head to Slateport City to get his Contest Pass. May, you can head to Petalburg and try for a gym badge, though I'd recommend skipping that gym entirely and moving on to Rustboro. I'm sure you know that Norman has a reputation of being the strongest leader in the region."

"And I don't care!" May boasted. " _I'm_ not afraid of him. In fact, me and Torchic can beat him all by our lonesome."

Brendan scoffed. "Ordinarily I wouldn't care, as I'm sure you two brutes will get along just fine. But are you seriously going to strain that poor baby so early? At least let me trim its feathers!"

"You doll up your own Pokémon!" May protested and put Torchic's Poké Ball on her belt.

Looking at the map, though, May got an idea. The map had the locations of Hoenn's gyms and Contest Halls marked on them, and May had already figured herself a good route. They said going through the entire region to get all eight gym badges would last about 4-6 months. The famous Red from Kanto did his in a few days over three months. May was confident she'd do even better.

"Say, Brendan," she said cockily, hands on her hips. "You think you've got what it takes to take on the Coordinators of Hoenn?"

"Of course," Brendan said proudly. "With Mudkip and the other Pokémon I'm going to get, we'll be the most beautiful team in all the region!"

"Then we'll make a deal," May said. "A bet, if you will. You know Phileas Fogg?"

"...no," Brendan said.

"Well, it doesn't matter. We'll make a bet: we will reach our respective goals in eighty days. Eight badges and championship for me, four ribbons and Top Coordinator status for you. Whoever gets there first, wins. What do you say?"

Brendan grinned.

"You're on," he said. "But first we have to go to... Oldale Town, was it? Hmm..."

"What?"

"Just thinking that, if you really want to win... you have to catch up to me first! Sucker!"

Pocketing Mudkip's Poké Ball, Brendan dashed out of the lab, May quickly giving chase to him, moving faster than even her father thought was humanly possible. Birch looked out of his lab's window and saw May tackling Brendan to the ground before getting up and running away, Brendan being unhurt by outraged by dirt getting on his clothes, giving chase to May.

Looking at the sight, Birch sighed. "Just what will those two get themselves into..."

His musings were interrupted by his phone ringing. Wondering who would have something urgent to talk about this late, knowing that it couldn't be his wife, seeing as his house was only a few minutes worth of walking away. Birch picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he said. "Um, who? Wha – really? Lance? From the Indigo League? Well, this is quite an honor, I don't think we've met before. How can I..."

Birch frowned, suddenly gripping the phone tightly.

"Team Aqua?"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: S.S. Anne, Petalburg City Harbor, Hoenn** _

Kris and Iris stood before the S.S. Anne's captain, their hair and clothes soaking wet and dripping water all over the captain's office. The old Captain Cutter raised an eyebrow at that, but the two girls refused to divulge what had happened, though Iris gave a few pointed glares in Kris' directions.

"All finished in the kitchen, then?" Cutter asked, and the two nodded sternly. "Very good. A promise is a promise, and you two have done more than enough to earn your keep. In fact, you've done so well that I've taken the liberty of giving you two a little bonus each."

Cutter handed Kris and Iris an envelope each. Iris opened it carefully while Kris practically ripped hers apart opening it. Inside both was a cheque with the same sum written on both.

"Five thousand poké-dollars?!" Kris yelled out. "Captain, this is really-"

Cutter raised his hand to silence Kris. "You're welcome," he said simply. "From what I've heard, most of your money was spent just getting to Vermilion City. I know what it's like to set foot in a strange land, so I hope this will get you started. Really, it's practically nothing, considering our clientele. It seems we've arrived in Petalburg City, just like you wanted."

"Thank you, captain," Iris said formally and bowed, Kris doing the same a bit half-assedly. "I never thought I'd even see the famous luxury liner."

The captain just seemed bothered by the excessive politeness. "Really, you deserve it. I respect that you wished to earn your way to your goal."

Kris nodded, though it was not like she had any other options. She was too poor for a plane ticket, anyway, and few direct ferry trips left for Hoenn. The luxury liner S.S. Anne was their only choice, but that had meant having to wait until the ship finally made a stop in Hoenn.

Cutter stood up and walked over to one of the many swords he had hanging on his wall, brushing his finger over it.

"You know, this ship has cruised around the world endlessly for over a decade," Cutter mused as he inspected the dusty sword. "I've gotten to meet people from all over the world and have no regrets over taking his job, but I do wonder if I could still experience the same adventures when I was young had I chosen a different path."

"Captain?" Kris asked in concern – though Cutter had been friendly to them, he hadn't exactly exchanged much dialogue with her and Iris and he certainly hadn't talked about his personal life, though the rest of the crew talked about him as if they revered him.

The captain smiled at Kris and Iris. "From what you told me when you first came on board, this isn't a mere backpacking trip you two are on. Why don't you tell me where you're from and why you came all this way?"

Kris and Iris glanced at each other uncertainly. Their reasons for being there weren't exactly secrets, but talking about them to random people didn't feel like a good idea.

"I'll tell you what," Cutter continued when Kris and Iris stayed quiet. "You tell me at least the basics of why you're here, and I'll do you a favor that might help you get around. Hoenn is a big place, after all."

Kris glanced at Iris again, and Iris just shrugged, smiling slightly.

"I guess there's no harm," she told Kris and faced Cutter. "Captain, I'm from the Village of Dragons, which is on the outskirts of Unova. My home will most likely be destroyed and my family and friends will be forced to abandon their way of life. I'm here to get stronger, find a way to prevent that and find a way to carry on the dragon clan's legacy if that fails."

Cutter nodded. "A respectable goal," he said. "I had completely underestimated today's youth. What about you, Kris?"

Kris looked at Cutter in the eyes. "I'm from New Bark Town, and as for why I'm here - many reasons. To become stronger and to study some ancient writings we were unable to translate. But most importantly, we have reason to believe that... um..."

"We can trust him," Iris said cheerfully, and Cutter nodded encouragingly.

"Well, you know of Red?" she asked, and Cutter nodded again. "Yeah, I don't think there's anyone in this nation who doesn't. We want to find out how and why he disappeared three years ago, and our investigation has led us to believe that he may be in Hoenn."

"Well, that wasn't too hard, was it?" Cutter said and returned behind his desk. He wrote something on a piece of paper which he handed over to Iris. "If you two need to get farther than Petalburg or Rustboro, visit an old friend of mine from my Navy days. He's called Mr. Briney and he lives near Petalburg, if I recall. Just show him that paper and tell him that it's a favor for me, and he'll do what you ask. But I recommend you spend the night in Petalburg – it's getting a bit late."

"Thank you, captain," Kris said, and she and Iris saluted Cutter, even if it was a civilian ship and they were no longer his employees anyway.

As Kris and Iris left the ship, many members of the crew were there to see them off. The Kalosian waiter had recovered and Kris and Iris were apologizing him profusely, though he assured he got slapped around a lot anyway. Sailor Huey was particularly emotional, grabbing Kris and Iris in a suffocating hug with his muscular arms and bawling his eyes out about how they were one of the finest crew members he ever had the pleasure to serve with. The girls were eventually able to stop his crying by assuring him they'd write.

Eventually, Kris and Iris had to wave their goodbyes and headed for the Petalburg Pokémon Center, where they planned to spend the night, aiming to start their trip towards Rustboro early in the morning. Kris was writing something on his journal, which she refused to call a 'diary' despite Iris' insistence and preferred 'a chronicling of her journey for the future generations to find'.

" _Kris' log, day 1 in Hoenn._ _Though getting here was a worse ordeal than training for the Silver Conference had been, we've finally made it, and our journey couldn't have started better._ _Captain Cutter promised to help us and we seemed to make a good impression on the crew. Well, Iris did anyway – I didn't talk to them much, just used my free time to train and occasionally challenge passengers to battles whenever the captain or Huey weren't around. Iris_ _seemed to think it was a valuable experience –_ _personally,_ _I can't wait to shower and get the smell of saltwater out of me._ _Dry land, I could kiss you if you weren't so polluted!_ "

" _I may not be much of a trainer_ _yet_ _,_ _but I can at least say I keep my promises: I will find Red, and I will_ _bring him back. And when I do, he's gonna tell me the secret to becoming the very best – like no one ever was_!"

"Ehh, that sounds stupid," Kris muttered and erased the last sentence.

**~o~O~o¨**

_**Location: Unknown, Hoenn** _

Latias had hidden herself in a cave somewhere in the Hoenn region, using the cover of darkness to get around. She had no idea how many miles she had flown, as every movement caused her agony, the numerous wounds she got from her experiments still bleeding. But more than the pain, her judgment was clouded by her unrelenting rage and lust for vengeance. She would never forget the face of the human who had wronged her – and after him, the rest would have their turn. As soon as she would recover from her wounds, it was time to go on the hunt.

" _I wouldn't do it if I were you_."

A voice echoed all over the cave – no, in Latias' mind. This made Latias certain that whoever it was, it was not a human. But the only Pokémon who had communicated with her like that was her brother. Could it be...

_"I just… I just want this to end," Latias said as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I want to be with my brother again."_

_"You and I both know he wouldn't want that to happen just yet," the man continued relentlessly. "And we both know he wouldn't want you obsessing about him. As for the first part… it can be arranged. You can end it all, and you can honor your brother by finishing the work he started. Save our kind from the humans and all Pokémon who stand by their side. If we succeed… both you and your brother can finally be at peace."_

_"_ _But how? I'm stuck in this place!_ _"_

_"You are only limited by your will to survive. In this case, a little luck helps too. I've given you a little push, as you can see. The rest is up to you."_

No. It was not him. Latias had to accept that Latios was gone, and that she couldn't follow him. Not yet anyway. Not before his will would be done.

But then, who was it?

"You have to learn to control that power of yours," the Pokémon continued, contacting her telepathically.

Latias was too wounded to properly survey the area, and whoever was talking was shielding themselves from Latias' powers.

"And you were captured by them – you're clearly not invincible," the Pokémon said again. "They will throw everything they have against you if you attack them blindly, and all you'll get is a couple of dozen, maybe a hundred victims. Why not search for a way that will get rid of an entire region at once?"

Latias was amused. _This_ was more relevant to her interests.

"You know of something like that?" she asked.

"I might."

Though the cave had been completely dark before, it was suddenly filled with intense blue light emanating from a purple, bipedal Pokémon with strong feline traits, enveloped in a bright blue aura. It was a psychic-type, Latias knew that. It was also powerful, even if it was smaller and most likely weaker than Latias herself. Either way, its offer intrigued her.

"My name is Mewtwo," the Pokémon said. "You and I have a lot in common."

"For instance?" Latias asked weakly – if the Pokémon had come there to kill her, it would have done it already, she believed.

"We both suffered at the hands of humans," Mewtwo said slyly, prompting Latias to look at it, staring straight into its eyes that glowed bright blue. "We both have a desire to pay back that suffering. And I believe we both have a common benefactor – Giratina, I believe its name was?"

_"The Devil?" the man laughed again, catching Latias off-guard. "Oh, no. Although I must admit that there are humans and Pokémon out there who often like to imagine me as such. I guess I should be flattered. The Beast is more accurate, I suppose, but I'm not here to take your soul, Latias. I'm here to help you find it. To help you uncover your_ _true_ _self. I'm your friend, Latias, and you can call me Giratina."_

"How about it, Latias?" Mewtwo asked. "Can I join you?"


	2. Eighty Day Challenge: May

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Petalburg City, Kris and Iris meet May and are quickly wrapped in an incident involving Team Aqua, while Latias and Mewtwo decide to make humanity taste their wrath.

" _You're sure of it?_ "

"Yes," said Captain Cutter, having a sailor hold his phone to his ear as he gazed out of his cabin's window. "And if they're indeed looking for him, they'll wound in Rustboro soon."

" _I guess I'll have to go and meet them_ _before that_ _. Thank you, Captain_."

"I don't know what you have planned, but I hope it's not to hurt those two – they can still be useful. Not that you'd be able to, if I understand it right."

" _Don't worry. You could almost say that they're good old friends of mine. Ciao!_ "

At the other end of the line, a young man with dark blonde hair, golden brown eyes and a scarred face wearing a long blue coat hung up on Cutter from a payphone in Rustboro City. Mirroring himself from the metal of the payphone, Wes adjusted his hair and coat before calmly strutting towards the Petalburg Woods.

**Chapter Two: _Eighty Day Challenge: May_**

_**Location: Unknown, Hoenn** _

Latias stared at her new visitor, but Mewtwo stared back unflinchingly, expecting an answer to its query. Finally, Latias broke down in hysterical, cackling laughter, ignoring the blood spilling from her many wounds as she laughed.

" _Join me_?!" Latias screeched. "If I'm going to make sure every last human and every Pokémon that dares to defend them feels my wrath, I sure as hell won't be needing you. Look at you – you're maybe half my size! And how does your head not roll off with that skinny neck of yours?! The only thing I want you to do is _die_!"

Latias fired a Mist Ball at Mewtwo, but all Mewtwo blocked the attack with a flick of its finger. Latias was surprised, but quickly hid her expression, throwing another insane fit of laughter interspersed with loud coughing and spitting out some of the thick, black blood in her throat.

"Was that supposed to be impressive?!" Latias howled. "If you're a psychic-type, then you're going to find my next move rather frustrating."

Latias' scales went from crimson to a dark carmine color and her irises and pupils seemed to vanish, leaving only the milky whites of her eyes behind. Mewtwo flinched as it saw Latias become enveloped in a purple glow. Before Mewtwo could sense what was going on, Latias fired a crimson shock wave from its body to every possible direction, parts of the cave being evaporated by the force of the attack. Mewtwo was knocked backwards, but maintained its footing and absorbed the attack, refusing to let itself fall. As the attack had hit it, Mewtwo had felt a sinking cold feeling spread through its entire body.

"You're still alive," Latias remarked coolly.

The purple glow stopped and Latias' scales and eyes returned to normal, though some blood was still dripping out of her mouth.

"And that attack pushed you beyond your limit" Mewtwo said, attempting to be nonchalant and hide the pain – it would take a while before it could recover and would definitely be knocked unconscious or worse if Latias attacked again. "That was Night Daze, wasn't it? How could you use it?"

Latias scowled. "How did you know?"

"My mind has imprints of every possible type of move a Pokémon has used, except for any new ones that have been created since my birth," Mewtwo explained. "That's how I suffered in the hands of the humans. I am an artificial Pokémon, cloned from my twin by a particularly power-hungry human. But it wasn't enough that they created another Mew – they wanted more strength, no matter the cost, and used me as a guinea pig for horrific experiments. Needless to say, it came with advantages, too."

"How did you escape you captors?" Latias asked, whispering in anticipation.

Mewtwo knew what Latias wanted to hear: "I killed them."

Latias' eyes widened and her expression changed to a twisted smile. Sadly, Mewtwo didn't even need to lie.

_One by one, the scientists in the room were engulfed by the explosions that Mewtwo created in cold fury, merely having to flick its hand in the desired direction._

_Eventually, only Fuji remained. Leaning on a piece of machinery, the bodies of his colleagues littered around him, he watched as all of his work slowly burned to cinder. And yet, he just looked on as Mewtwo approached him, blowing the flames away from it with another flick of its hand. Briefly, Fuji's and Mewtwo's eyes met._

_"We dreamed of creating the world strongest Pokémon…" Fuji grunted_

_Mewtwo started glowing again as it pointed its three-digit hand at Fuji. But Fuji merely stared forward with a faint smile on his face._

_"…and we succeeded!"_

"Our common benefactor helped me after I escaped, and it's my duty to help Them – and I'd say wiping a region off the map would do the trick," Mewtwo said. "But even I can't do it alone."

"You've made your point," Latias said in a raspy voice, spitting some of the excess blood off her mouth, "but I can't wait while we search around for whatever will help us destroy this place! I want to kill!"

"If we attack randomly, the humans will throw everything they have at us," Mewtwo explained calmly. "They may be weak, but they're an extraordinarily sneaky bunch. They use technology to blow apart everything in their way as a substitute for our attacks. And even in this region they have something called the Pokémon Association. They employ eight gym leaders, four members of the Elites and a Pokémon League Champion who all use powerful Pokémon to do their bidding. If they team up against us, chances are we might be able to kill a couple of dozen people at best before they take us down."

Latias glared at Mewtwo, who stared back relentlessly. When neither party was the first to blink or talk, Latias scoffed and looked away from Mewtwo.

"Are you taking the side of the humans now?" she asked. "Let me guess: there's a human who you connected with or something?"

_Blaine had pulled a chair next to a cylinder that was about ten feet tall and full of strange, orange liquid. Floating in the liquid was his latest creation. The creature had feline traits, but its feet resembled that of a rabbit's. It had a grayish purple complexion and an incredibly long, purple tail. For now, the creature was less than three feet tall and was suspended in a fetal position and its eyes were closed. It was surrounded by some sort of thin, blue bubble._

_Just like all the other clones in the facility, this one hadn't gained consciousness, even though its other vital signs were strong. And yet, Blaine sat by its side every day. While his job was to observe its heartbeat, brainwave activity and growth, he would also talk to it, teach it, attempt to communicate with it and even read to it. Currently, he was reading a book called_ "The Myths and Legends of Pokémonology" _to the creature out loud, praying for at least some signs of acknowledgment._

"Some manipulative coward who managed to convince a poor sap like you that humans aren't that bad after all?" Latias continued cruelly.

 _"That, we believe, is called Mew. Maybe it's extinct now, we don't know. All we know is that_ you _were created from it. Isn't that something? You're like… like its brother or sister or something… that's why we christened you 'Mewtwo'!"_

_Blaine walked to the tube and pressed his hand against it, but was talking to more to himself than to the creature._

_"But, you're not just Mew," he said quietly. "During the process, I used a bit of… a bit of myself." He showed the creature in the tube his right hand, which was fully covered by a purple glove. "In that respect… you're almost like…"_

_Blaine cleared his throat again, looking rather embarrassed._

"There's no one," Mewtwo said. "And I know how we can quench that thirst for blood that we share. We attack remote locations at random intervals, killing small amounts of people at a time – I know the layout to this region. Before anyone knows what's going on, we're on a different side of the region, looking for a new place to spread destruction in."

"As long as I get to see you kill a few as well," Latias snarled. "And I get the strongest ones! I want to make them suffer! Let's go, then!"

"Hold it!" Mewtwo said quickly, holding its hand up. "You're badly wounded, and even if you're stronger than me, you won't last long in your condition. We'll start tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Latias groaned. "I've lost track of hours, days and months. I can't wait too long!"

"After this, there'll be no more waiting," Mewtwo promised. "You can be free!"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Petalburg City, Hoenn** _

_**The next morning** _

Kris and Iris had spent the night in the Petalburg Pokémon Center and were now ready to head off to Rustboro City, having spent the afternoon with a map of the Hoenn region, bickering about the best path to take. As they went to pick up their Pokémon and gathered their belongings, Iris spotted someone from the crowd and pointed him out to Kris. It was a tall man, and though he wore sunglasses, the spiky red hair and black cape were unmistakable. Somehow, though, no one else seemed to bat an eye at him.

"Hey!" Iris yelled at the man and waved. "Hey, Lance! It's us! Hi!"

Lance shushed her and gestured at the exit, prompting Kris and Iris to follow. Outside, Lance took off his shades and sighed.

"I assumed this would be enough disguise," he grumbled. "Only hardcore battling aficionados usually recognize Champions outside their home turf. What do you want?"

"Um, just to say hi," Iris said meekly, Lance being as grumpy as always. "And... now I did it. Hi!"

"Is this an autograph thing?" Lance asked flatly. "Or am I supposed to know you two from somewhere?"

"We..." Iris gulped. "We met back in Johto. I'm a dragon trainer as well."

"You know me, at least, right?" Kris wondered. "I don't just know you as the Champion, you're also a member of the Legendary Pokémon Soc-"

Lance shushed again and looked madly around him. Putting his shades back on, he led Kris and Iris behind the Pokémon Center, away from curious eyes.

"Okay, I think I remember," Lance told Kris. "You're that girl from New Bark Town."

Kris shrugged. "I'll take what I can get. It's Kris, and this is Iris. We met a few times while fighting the Masked Man. Um, what are you doing here?"

"Yeah, is it Society business?" Iris asked passionately, staring up at the Champion who was over a foot taller. "Is some legendary Pokémon causing trouble? Or are there bad guys around using Pokémon for nefarious ends? Or-"

Lance raised his hand to silence the two. "Yes, it's related to Society business. Let's just say my reason for being here is to visit some friends, but off the record... the International Police wanted someone to investigate Team Aqua. Does that ring any bells?"

Kris and Iris both shook their heads, though Iris looked like she really wanted to say something, but couldn't get her mouth open.

"Yes?" Lance asked harshly.

"Uh, I just," Iris stuttered, "I've heard of some criminals called Team _Magma_ before, but..."

"That's understandable," Lance said. "Someone from Team Aqua might have infiltrated the local media, as Team Magma makes the headlines frequently but information on Team Aqua is scarce. Either way, they've been up to something recently and I'm here to see if it's something the local police force can't handle. The Legendary Pokémon Society isn't concerned yet, until they find a way to achieve their goal..."

"Which is?" Kris asked.

"They wanted to expand the world's oceans," Lance said.

"You've got to be kidding me," Kris deadpanned. " _Why_?!"

"They're nuts," Lance said plainly.

"So, what does Team Magma do, attempt to find some magical way to expand the world's landmass? And they spent most of their time fighting each other instead of doing anything to meet their goals?"

Kris laughed, but could read her answer from the expression on Lance and Iris' faces.

"Why does every region have some weirdo team?!" Kris lamented.

"Either way, weirder things have happened, and we take nutcases like this seriously even if the authorities don't," Lance said. "Watch yourselves, and take care. Excuse me."

With a dramatic swing of his cape, Lance walked away. Kris and Iris watched after him, seeing him open a Poké Ball and summon his Dragonite. Hopping on its back and letting the Dragonite propel itself into the air, Lance was soon just a dot in the distance.

"Well, that was some coincidence," Iris remarked and turned to Kris. "What now?"

"We keep moving and stay out of whatever weirdness fate has cooked up for us," Kris said. "Since those LPS snobs will never accept me into their ranks, we might as well try not to get involved. I don't need any more stalkers or murderers after me. But first!"

"First what?"

Kris guided Iris away from the back alley and a few blocks ahead from the Pokémon Center until the two arrived near the lakefront, where the Petalburg City Pokémon Gym stood tall. Kris made a dramatic gesture towards the gym, but Iris just tilted her head in confusion.

"Seriously, you were silent during that whole trip, first what?" Iris wondered.

"Gym, badge, battle?" Kris said impatiently, still waving her arms towards the gym. "I read a brochure about this city at the Pokémon Center, and this gym is their prized attraction-"

"Is it because it's their only attraction?" Iris asked.

"Yes," Kris admitted. "But seriously, I've heard of this city's gym leader before. He's called Norman Ruby and he's the strongest leader in this region. Rumor has it the Pokémon Association once considered firing him because he was far _too_ tough for the challengers. And he was originally from Johto!"

"...and?"

" _And_ if I beat the strongest gym leader in the region, I'll _finally_ get the respect I deserve as a professional Pokémon trainer!" Kris insisted. "Our mission can wait, but who knows if we'll ever be back here! C'mon!"

Iris tried to protest that they should try to get to Rustboro before nightfall, but Kris was already making her way towards the gym.

Inside, the Petalburg City Gym looked even larger than on the outside. It was essentially an enormous dōjō full of many smaller fighting rings categorized by different fighting styles, such as the Attack Room, Defense Room, Zero Reduction Room and so on. The gym guide led Kris and Iris to the second floor, where the gym leader himself held his battles. As a battle was in progress, the gym guide instructed them to wait their turn. Kris happily accepted and carefully observed the battle from the sidelines, wanting to take in every possible tactic Norman might have been using.

Norman was a tall man with short dark hair, his widow's peak being very prominent. Though middle-aged and seemingly lean, he was clearly rugged underneath his tight, red sweatshirt. He had an imposing presence and he commanded a white, ferocious-looking Pokémon with long arms and extremely long and sharp claws expertly.

He was currently engaged in battle against a girl around Kris' age with brown hair and blue eyes, who was just as invested into the battle, but her style was different from Norman's. Though she was capable, Kris could see that the girl lost her patience easily whenever her tiny, orange, bird-like Pokémon missed its attack or Norman's Pokémon landed a hit on it, which made her start yelling at her Pokémon. Despite its small size and clear lack of experience, the orange bird fought bravely, attempting to hit Norman's Pokémon with fire attacks. Still, that wasn't enough, and it was eventually knocked out when it was too exhausted to dodge a swipe from Norman's Pokémon.

Watching the battle made Kris seriously doubt herself. In three months, she hadn't taken on any opponent comparable to Norman, and even in the Silver Conference, she mostly got as far as she did thanks to being lucky and fighting mostly amateurs... only to end up losing to one. Norman didn't even seem to break a sweat with the girl, but nonetheless, Kris took the opportunity to quickly scan both of the Pokémon in the field.

" _Vigoroth, the Wild Monkey Pokémon and evolved form of Slakoth_ ," Kris' PokéDex informed of Norman's Pokémon just before Norman withdrew it. " _Easily stressed and agitated if it doesn't constantly engage in battle or destroy things, it has a very fast metabolism. It is said only a particularly competent trainer can keep a Vigoroth calm_."

 _Even the PokéDex shills him_ , Kris thought and scanned the girl's Pokémon which she was tending to, hugging it and apologizing to it.

" _Torchic, the Chick Pokémon. It can spit flames with a temperature up to one thousand degrees Celsius. As it generates the flames using a special organ in its stomach, it is said that Torchic is, quote 'extremely huggable', like a warm water bottle_."

"Aww," Iris squeed.

" _The sappy way meatbag humans continue to treat other lifeforms is a constant source of disgust for this unit_."

"Aww," Iris lamented.

"No one asked you opinion," Kris snapped at the PokéDex and put it back in her bag. "I swear, I should send it back to New Bark Town for repairs – maybe someone will remove its sass circuit."

"Thanks for battling with me, Mr. Ruby," the girl told the gym leader, holding the weakened Torchic in her arms. "I really thought I stood a chance."

"Norman, please," Norman said, his voice oddly cold, his arms crossed over his chest. "And thank you, May, for helping that Wally kid catch himself a Pokémon."

"Oh, it was no problem, I was kinda surprised he could actually throw a Poké Ball at that Ralts," May replied, her tone still almost reverent as she spoke with Norman. "But he's an old school friend of both me and Brendan, so it was all good."

"Hmph," Norman simply said. "His parents seem to be intent on sending him to Vendaturf Town to heal up. Maybe the mountain air will do him good, but him lounging around the corners of his relatives' house isn't going to do any good. They should have sent him to train under me – I'd have made a man out of him."

"Um, sure," May said awkwardly. "But, uh, anyway, I think I'm off to Rustboro City next, so-"

"Just one more thing," Norman said, and May seemed compelled to stay, though reluctantly. "The way you fought was more than I expected from a beginner, but you made some grievous mistakes. You didn't control your temper, you let a Pokémon straight out of its ball lose without doing any damage to my Vigoroth, risking getting it badly hurt. And you severely overestimated your abilities."

"I'm sorry," May said quickly, "I'll promise to pay more attention to it later!"

"Whatever," Norman shrugged. "It was still better than what Brendan would have done. Speaking of which... I thought I told him to come here as soon as he got his Pokémon."

May gulped.

"You're sure you don't know where he is?" Norman inquired, his tone even but his expression cold, relentlessly staring straight into May's eyes.

May just shook her head. "Sorry, we ended up separated in Oldale Town," she said nervously. "I'm sure he'll be back soon, though."

"And what will you be doing?" Norman asked.

"I hear the former champion Steven Stone might be in Rustboro City right now," May said briskly. "If I'm quick, maybe I can get a few pointers from him."

Kris narrowed her eyes. Hearing that name just gave her an idea.

"Kris," Iris muttered under her breath.

"Yeah, I know," Kris replied. "Just let me do the talking."

"Really? Well, if you insist..."

Kris wasn't sure what Iris was supposed to mean by that, but ignored the comment. May seemed all too happy to exit the ring, and once she did so, Kris immediately approached her.

"Hi!" Kris told May cheerfully.

May's instant reaction was to flinch and turn to glare at the arrivals, ready to leap at them like a predator.

"Uh, easy there," Kris said and raised her arms. "I'm just a Pokémon Trainer like you and I was watching your battle."

May relaxed a bit, though still seemed a bit tense as she shook hands with both Kris and Iris.

"I'm Kris, this is Iris," Kris said quickly, a bit confused as to why May was still warily observing the duo from a distance after the handshake. "That was some nice battling, by the way. I overheard you talking, and we're heading to Rustboro City as well."

Iris frowned. "Weren't you supposed to-"

"Anyway," Kris continued over Iris, "we could use a guide, and you seem like a powerful trainer and probably know your way around here. What do you say?"

May flicked her hair back and put one hand on her hip, smirking at the two.

"How do I know you guys aren't just gonna be dead weight to me?" she asked mischievously.

Kris smiled. May clearly enjoyed the praise, but was smart enough to ask what she was going to get out of it. Together, Kris and Iris opened their badge cases and showed their collections to May, who cocked her eyebrows at them. Kris' case had five badges, four from Johto and one from the Kanto gym leader Janine who had surrendered it after Kris beat her in the Silver Conference – and exposed her mercenary work for Team Rocket. Iris had six badges, all from Unova.

"Oh, wow, sorry I doubted you guys," May said, especially interested in Iris' badges. "But then, you're not from 'round here, huh? You tourists?"

"Ehh, sort of," Iris said with a shrug. "I'm from Unova, she's from Johto, where we met."

"Unova?!" May exclaimed curiously and whistled. "I hear there's some damn strong trainers there, like those two brothers who challenge people in the subway. What are you doin' all the way out here, we're practically the Poké-boonies compared to you guys."

Iris laughed, but waved her hand modestly. "We're not _that_ great, really. And I'm actually studying to become a gym leader."

"Excuse me," Kris said in frustration when May was directing all of her attention to Iris, "I was the one who was gonna-"

"A gym leader - like Norman?!" May gasped. "Wow! That's so cool! I've always wanted to know what it was like to be one! Where do you-"

Kris cleared her throat loudly, prompting May to look at her, though with nowhere near the same amount of interest as with Iris.

"Thank you," Kris said sarcastically. "Now, back to my point, whaddya say?"

May pondered the question, rubbing her chin with her gloved hand – she was wearing black fingerless gloves, Kris noting she had a similar one in her right hand, the glove being the only remnants of the mysterious Pokémon trainer Red.

"I dunno," May said teasingly, her smile betraying her. "I'm kinda strapped for time here... I have to get all eight badges in 79 days."

"That's kind of arbitrary," Iris pointed out.

May seemed flustered. "Well, it's just... this kind of bet I had with... uh, forget it, just that the Hoenn League will be held soon after that, and I have to prepare. So all right – I'll be a guide for you guys, on one condition."

"Here we go," Kris groaned.

"You guys, especially you," May pointed at Iris, "have to be my mentors. Teach me how you got all those badges. I mean, you don't look like much. Especially you," May added, pointing at Kris.

Kris tried her best to ignore that last comment. "Fine, but only if you call me Kris-senpai whenever you talk to me."

"Uh, no I won't."

Kris sighed. "Fine, we'll do it anyway. You OK with this, Iris?"

"Sure, new friends are always nice!" Iris cheered. "Say, May, you seemed to know the gym leader of this place personally."

May nodded proudly. "He's actually my... _friend's_ father."

"He has a son?" Kris exclaimed in surprise. "One around your age?" May nodded. "Wow! You have to introduce us! The son of Norman Ruby would probably help me out a lot! I bet he's as badass as his dad!"

May looked bothered. "Um, sure, depends on how you look at it. Anyway, you want to go or not?"

"We're trusting you to get us there fast," Kris said. "Don't let us down."

"Oh, please," May smirked. "I know the route from here to Rustboro like the back of my hands!"

**~o~O~o¨**

_**Location: Petalburg Woods, Hoenn** _

_**One hour and eight minutes later** _

"Y'know, I don't actually look at the backs of my hands all that often..."

"You've got to be kidding me."

Kris, Iris and May were lost somewhere in the depths of the Petalburg Woods. It was a thick forest abundant with wild Pokémon, causing Iris to almost lose her control over getting to observe all of their behavior, spotting bug- and grass-types she had never seen before. Though it was still light out, the cloudy weather and the shadows cast by the tall, thick trees left little daylight a chance to pour through – worse yet, the trio had diverged off the main path because May 'knew a shortcut', and were now lost in an endless stream of darkness, grass and trees, wild Pokémon frequently rustling and flying to safety as they saw humans approach.

"You said this was the fastest route!" Kris snapped at May while Iris was running around trying to catch a bug Pokémon that burrowed itself underground when it saw her approaching.

"It is!" May insisted as she gazed around restlessly. "Really, it's your fault for disrupting my fantastic sense of directions with your presence!

"Well," Kris said, "what are we going to-"

May didn't stick around to listen, but instead cracked her knuckles and ran towards one of the trees. Launching herself into the air, she grabbed the trunk of the tree and quickly scrambled up on a branch like a Mankey.

"I think I can see the right path from here," May yelled from the tree. "I'm going to go ahead and check it out – just stay here, I'll be right back!"

Kris didn't have time to argue, as May jumped expertly into a different tree, then grabbed a vine to swing herself into another one, continuing this until Kris couldn't see or hear her anymore.

"Glad it's her up in the trees and not me," Kris remarked. "Right, Iris?"

Kris turned to look, but Iris was nowhere to be seen. Muttering a few quiet swear words under her breath, Kris was forced to waltz deeper into the forest looking for her, calling out her name as she went. Wild Pokémon scrambled frantically away as she walked through the woods, grass rustling on all sides.

"Iris!" Kris yelled. "Damn it, where is she?"

Suddenly, someone jumped off a tree branch, landing in front of Kris, who was on the verge of tossing out one of her Poké Balls before she recognized it as Iris, who smiled cheerfully at her.

"Sorry about that," she said with a shrug. "But there's so much wildlife in he-"

" _HEEEEEEEELP!_ "

Kris and Iris fell silent. They heard more frantic rustling, only from something far heavier than most of the Pokémon they had seen. Soon enough, a paunchy, middle-aged man frantically hugging a briefcase ran at Kris and Iris, screaming pathetically all the while. Noticing Kris and Iris, he scrambled behind them, pathetically trying to cower behind Kris.

"What are you doing?!" Kris snapped and tried to shake the guy off.

"You have to help me!" the man cried. "I'm an employee of Devon – I was supposed to bring these goods to my boss from Petalburg, but got ambushed by... by..."

"By who?" Kris wondered. "And stop hiding behind me, you coward!"

"By her!" the Devon employee shrieked, pulling Iris closer to Kris so he was hidden completely.

Soon enough, another person calmly followed the Devon employee's path. She was a tall, fierce-looking woman with long brown hair who wore a blue outfit that almost looked like a uniform, as well as, for whatever reason, swimming goggles. Accompanying her were two Pokémon, one a red, crustacean Pokémon with a yellow star sticking out of the front of its face, while the other one was a blue, round Pokémon with flippers and thick, white whiskers.

"Don't bother taking your dex out," Iris muttered. "The red one is a Crawdaunt, types Water and Dark. The blue one is a Sealeo, types Ice and Water."

"A Water expert, huh," Kris mumbled back before raising her voice at the arrival. "Who are you?!"

"They know me by many names, lasses," the woman said in a thick accent and crossed her arms smugly as she stopped just a few yards away from Kris, Iris and the shivering Devon employee. "As a matter o' fact, I forget the real one m'self sometimes. Some call me Angie, others say I should go by Izumi, while today, I feel like I should be called... Shelly. Why don't you two pipsqueaks let go of that poor sod behind yous and we'll forget you crossed the paths of the mighty Team Aqua!"

Kris and Iris tensed up, both of them inching their hands towards their Poké Balls.

"You're one of those eco-guys, then?" Kris asked Shelly. "Seriously, I've been meaning to ask you about that – the hell is up with your plan? I mean, expanding the oceans, really? Just wait a few years and let pollution do that for you!"

"You calling us barmy, ya daft punk?!" Shelly snapped and suddenly pointed at Kris with a sharp spear. "If you're taking the piss out of us, the it looks like you silly little munters need to be taught a lesson!"

"What on earth is she talking about?" Iris wondered. "Kris, is it really smart to provoke the lunatic?"

"Lance warned us about them," Kris reminded, "I hoped we wouldn't have to cross path with them, but since they _insist_ on dogging me... you, Shelly! If you wanted me, you should have just told me."

"Eh?" Shelly said in confusion. "Am I supposed to know you, mate? Just here for the tosser behind you and his goods!"

"You can't let her take them!" the Devon employee whimpered. "They're valuable!"

"So... you don't know who I am?" Kris asked.

"Pretty obvious, innit?"

"Well, that's a relief," Iris sighed, "right, Kri-"

But Kris had buried her face in her hands and collapsed on her knees.

"All that training for the Silver Conference, all those hardships to become a professional trainer," she lamented melodramatically, "all for nothing, was it?"

"She's off her trolley," Shelly said as she stared down at Kris. "Oi, is she gonna be okay?" she asked Iris.

"She'll be fine," Iris assured, "she just occasionally has to be reminded that-"

" _Croc, go_!"

Shelly having let her guard down, she had to back off as Kris summoned her Feraligatr and quickly scrambled away from Shelly's reach. Quickly enough, Shelly's Crawdaunt and Sealeo stepped in front of their trainer while Shelly assumed a fighting stance. Iris took advantage of the situation and sent out her own Pokémon – Sliggoo, a slimy, purple dragon-type.

"You up for an arsewrassle then, lasses?" Shelly smirked. "Bloody hell, I've done sweet F. A. today couldn't be arsed to wail on you, but if that's what you want, then you've got it!"

"Use Fraxure instead!" Kris complained at Iris. "Seriously, what part of 'weakest dragon' don't you get?"

"Don't insult her!" Iris snapped. "I managed to make her evolve, didn't I?"

"Yeah, and you did bugger all with her since then – oh no, now I'm catching it. Croc, Superpower!"

Enveloped in a pale blue aura, Croc roared and snapped its jaws before ramming towards Crawdaunt and Sealeo with all its might. Unfortunately, it was too slow, and Shelly had time to tell Crawdaunt to use Protect, erecting an invisible barrier in front of the two Pokémon. When Croc staggered in a daze caused by the sheer force of its own attack, Sealeo took the opportunity to use Body Slam, tackling the Feraligatr with all its weight, almost crushing it in the process. Croc tried its all to push Sealeo away, but the bulky Ball Roll Pokémon kept it pinned down.

"Don't worry, I'll help!" Iris promised. "Sliggoo, Dragon Pulse!"

"Ice Beam!" Shelly commanded. "And you, Night Slash!"

Sealeo's Ice Beam blocked the Dragon Pulse handily, allowing Crawdaunt to advance and strike Sliggoo with its pincers, bringing the dragon-type down easily. Iris returned the Pokémon, but Shelly didn't give them time to call out any new ones. She quickly charged at Kris and whacked her with the blunt end of her spear, dazing her and allowing Shelly to toss her on the ground roughly. Putting one foot on her back, Shelly kept the sharp end of the spear on her neck.

Ass Iris tried to send out another Pokémon to help Kris, her arms were grabbed by Crawdaunt's pincers and twisted behind her back. Iris tried struggling against it, but Crawdaunt tightened its grip and almost burrowed under Iris' skin.

"'Less you fancy the sound of your bones breaking, I wouldn't try anything, little tyke," Shelly said and glared at the Devon employee, who was standing on the background, legs shaking and face contorted with fear. "Oi, you gormless twat!" she yelled at him. "Give us the goods unless you've got the bollocks to watch these two join the choir invisible!"

"I..." the Devon employee stuttered, too afraid to even try running away. "Um... you two! Would you be interested in making a great sacrifice in the name of the Devon Corporation?"

"No!" Kris protested. "Just give her the stupid briefcase!"

"It's not stupid!" the Devon employee cried pathetically and looked at Iris for support, ignoring her situation. "My case is not stupid, is it?"

"No, it's very beautiful," Iris grunted and tried to carefully wiggle out of Crawdaunt's grip, but cringed as the Pokémon just tightened it. "But could you still give it to her, because we're running low on options!

"That's right, you soppy little knob!" Shelly said. "I've got the upper hand here, so unless you – wait, what the bleedin' hell is that sound?"

Shelly stopped to listen, and soon the others heard it too. Something was rustling through leaves and jumping from tree to tree, but it was too dark to see who or what it was. They also heard something resembling a battle cry which was initially distant, but got stronger as it approached them, almost sounding like-

"...aaaaaaaaquaAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Swinging from vines, May charged towards Shelly, who tried to lift her spear at her. However, May snatched it away from her with her legs and kicked it against a tree, snapping it in half.

"Oh, this dodgy plonker!" Shelly cursed before May kicked her square in the torso and knocked her to the ground. "Arse!"

May landed, holding a small yellow Pokémon under her arm – the Pokémon's expression made it look like it was constantly pissed off. As Crawdaunt and Sealeo let go of their targets and approached May, she lifted the Pokémon over her head.

"Shroomish, Stun Spore!" May yelled.

Crawdaunt and Sealeo were too slow to dodge the ensuing mist of orange powder that rendered them immobile the moment they inhaled it. Seeing this forced Shelly to return her Pokémon, her cocky expression changing to fear when she saw Kris and Iris get back on their feet, Croc doing the same and growling at Shelly, licking its lips and looking particularly eager to attack.

"Just wait, you bastards!" Shelly yelled. "Team Aqua will... oh, sod it, I ain't got a good boast for this!"

And with that, Shelly fled into the deeper, darkest parts of the forest, quickly disappearing into the shadows. May walked over to the broken piece of spear, humming approvingly as she put it in her bag, apparently as a battle trophy or something.

"Hey, mister, you okay?" she asked the Devon employee.

He responded with fearful nodding and dried his eyes on his sleeve. May rolled her eyes.

"How about you, girls?"

"Fine," Kris grumbled as she recalled Croc – today's humiliation wasn't anything particularly new, but it had been a while since the last one. "Say, May, when did you start your Pokémon journey again?"

"Uh... yesterday," May said. "But I've been doing fieldwork with my pops since who knows when."

Kris collapsed again, and Iris merely offered a quick, comforting pat on her shoulder before turning to look at the Shroomish May was holding.

"Where'd you get that?" Iris asked.

"Oh, while I was lookin' for the right path, I noticed a lot of Pokémon were running away from somethin' and figured you were in trouble," May said cheerfully and patted the Shroomish on the head – it continued to look pissed off. "This little buddy was the only one who didn't run away and actually approached me for something. I asked it if it wanted to be in my team and chucked a Poké Ball at it – the ball didn't even shake once. Thanks for the help, Shroomish!" she said and withdrew the Pokémon.

"At least that Team Aqua chick didn't get our names," Kris pondered. "So maybe we can still get on with this trip without getting involved with them..."

"But I look forward to clobbering some if I meet them again!" May said excitedly. "There might be a lot of them around this area – my dad called Norman yesterday and asked him to warn me about them-"

"Thank you!" the Devon employee suddenly cried out, finally realizing he was safe, apparently. "You have saved one of our company's most prized belongings... and the briefcase!"

"Well," Kris said modestly, "it was noth-"

But the Devon employee rushed straight at May and shook her hands enthusiastically, May looking confused but returning the gesture. When it became clear May's grip hurt the Devon employee's hand, he quickly pulled his hand away.

"You must come with me to our office!" the Devon employee announced. "The president will want to thank you in person!"

"Nah, it's all right," May said. "Just happy to help."

"I insist!" the Devon employee shouted. "Mr. Stone will no doubt reward you for your bravery!"

Iris nudged Kris with her elbow.

"Stone," she muttered.

Kris was confused. "Um... rock?"

Iris sighed. "Stone, as in related to Steven Stone," she said. "Who do you think that guy's father is?"

"Oh, yeah!" Kris said with a snap of her fingers and turned to look at the Devon employee. "Mister, May will be delighted to come, and we as her close friends will follow suit!"

"Say what? May snapped.

"Excellent!" the Devon employee said, rubbing his hands together creepily. "Onwards, then!"

**~o~O~o¨**

_**Location: Devon Corporation HQ, Rustboro City, Hoenn** _

_**Half an hour later** _

Kris, Iris and a reluctant May who wanted to get to the gym first were currently in an elevator heading to the topmost floor of the enormous skyscraper Devon's offices were located in. Kris had thought the Goldenrod Radio Tower and the Bell Tower were tall, but this building was something she only though existed in the movies, the behemoth of a building leaving everything else in the city looking insignificant.

The elevator allowed a panoramic view of everything happening below and offered a glimpse outside the windows, the people below getting tinier every second the elevator ascended. As the elevator whirred on, the Devon employee gave the trio a lecture about Devon. Apparently it was initially just a small company making its profits by licensing Silph's products and selling them in Hoenn before eventually starting to make spin-offs and their own products, which the employee explained enthusiastically as the elevator passed the numerous R&D labs.

Some of the products were mundane, like medicine for people and Pokémon, different types of Poké Balls and footwear meant specifically for Pokémon trainers that allowed them to run faster and make leaps that were not ordinarily possible, similar to the ones May was wearing at the moment. Then there were concepts of more ridiculous devices, like machines that could allow people to talk to Pokémon and a projector that visualized Pokémon dreams. The first one was apparently not just a pipe dream, though, as the laboratory at Navel Rock had completed a working prototype of a Pokémon translator, but it had been destroyed with the lab during the Team Rocket incident.

The president, Mr. Stone, was in the thirtieth floor in a gigantic office that covered almost the entire floor. The office seemed to double as a conference room, with Mr. Stone's desk at the very end of it behind a large window. Mr. Stone himself was a short, stocky man with silver-colored hair wearing a blue, pinstriped suit. The Devon employee, having apparently called ahead, introduced the trio to him and went to standing behind him sycophantically.

"Welcome to Devon!" Mr. Stone said jovially, though he didn't bother to get up from behind his desk. "Thank you for saving one of our most precious resources... and this Guy right here," he added with a nod in the Devon employee's direction. "Now, I'm known throughout the land as an exceptionally generous person – isn't that right, Guy?"

"My name isn't Guy, sir," the Devon employee said sleazily, "but yes, sir, you are very generous. Which reminds me, I haven't had a raise in, well, ever, so-"

"I'm sorry, Guy, but at this moment, all I heard from your mouth after you answered my question was unnecessary rambling," Stone interrupted. "Go back to doing whatever it is that you do, mhmyes."

"Very well, sir," the Devon employee said and turned to leave.

"Where do you think you're going, champ?" Stone asked him suddenly.

"To do whatever it is that I-"

"Which will be standing behind me today, I need someone to pin post-it notes to when the time comes," Stone said harshly, and the Devon employee shrugged and went back to standing behind his boss. Stone turned back to talk to May. "Now, like I said, I'm a generous man, and you earned a reward. Guy, give her a PokéNav."

The Devon employee pulled a device from one of Mr. Stone's drawers that looked like a clamshell mobile phone and handed it to May, who enthusiastically flipped it open and started to fiddle with it.

"The PokéNav comes with many features," the Devon employee listed off monotonously. "Aside from a phone, a map and a GPS, the PokéNav has also been upgraded with another product of ours, the Vs. Seeker, which allows you to pinpoint trainers who wish to battle and register trainer information to it, as well as an app that can keep track of a Pokémon's emotional condition, one of our newest and most highly regarded inventions."

"It was my idea originally, wasn't it, Guy?" Stone said, and rambled off without waiting for an answer. "I just had another masterstroke of an idea while you were out dillydallying, Guy! I've been looking at that wretched slum from my window and concluded that no one will miss it – and I want a skyscraper, a modern, thirty-story skyscraper that will tower above everything else in this filthy city! So get that place demolished!"

"We already have a skyscraper, sir," the Devon employee said in exhaustion. "We're in it."

"How much would it cost to move it and crush the slums with it, then?" Stone asked. "Mmhah, who am I kidding, I could easily afford it!"

"Well, thanks, Mr. Stone," May said and put the PokéNav in her bag.

"Don't we get a PokéNav?" Kris wondered.

"Were you the one who fought off that Aqua member?" Stone asked.

"Uh, not _exactly_ , but-"

"Well, then, it looks like you'll have to go without, then, mhmyes," Stone chuckled. "Now, then, how else do you want to waste my time?"

"Mr. Stone," Kris said, "we-"

"What?"

"We need to-"

"Yes?"

"Stop interrupting me!" Kris snapped. "We want to-"

"If that's all you needed, then buzz off," Stone said. "Guy, take these three to the president right away!"

"Sir, you are the president."

"That's right, and I have the authority to tell you take these three to him!"

"Mr. Stone, I'd like to ask about your son, Steven," May said quickly. "I'd like to meet him."

"Oh, good old Stevie boy," Stone scoffed. "He's probably dawdling about instead of doing anything productive – you know he was the Champion until not too long ago, but that layabout couldn't even keep that up. I promised him a job high-up in my company's ranks, but he refused! And he even believes that the poor _aren't_ just a waste of space and a resource to be used for the generator in my tanning salon!"

"What?" Kris asked.

"What?" Stone countered.

"I-"

"Yes, what?" Stone interrupted. "Anyway, he's not here, but in Dewford Town, most likely looking for rocks to add to his collection. A fine hobby, except he doesn't sell them like I do! It's like money isn't the most important thing to him! Anyway, if you do see him..."

Stone reached for something in his drawer. Kris, Iris and May flinched when he pulled out a revolver, but he just put it on his desk and kept rummaging through the drawer until he finally found what he was looking for – a letter that he gave to May.

"...please deliver this letter to him," Stone continued. "Speaking of going to places, Guy, why are you still here? Those goods you're carrying need to get to Slateport City!"

"About that, sir," the Devon employee said. "The Rusturf Tunnel hasn't been finished yet. People are protesting that the drilling disturbs local Pokémon."

"Protestors?" Stone scoffed. "Didn't you order that armored snowplow to clear them off?"

"Sir, you can't plow humans away just like that," the Devon employee said. "You need a permit that takes a month to process."

"Damnation!" Stone yelled and slammed his fist on the table. "I should get what I want! I'm the president, after all!"

"President of this company, sir."

"Whichever. You three!" Stone suddenly yelled at the trio. "If you're going to Dewford Town, it won't be too much trouble to go to Slateport City afterward. Please take these goods to Captain Stern – he should be working at his shipyard."

The Devon employee planted his briefcase on the desk in front of Stone.

"Now hang on, I just need to write a note to Stern and attach it to the case," he muttered, took out a sheet of paper and aimed his revolver at it.

"Sir, that's not a pen!" the Devon employee exclaimed and pulled the gun away from his boss. "And I already did that for you, there's a note inside the case!"

"Not a pen?" Stone said in confusion, then slapped his forehead and laughed. "Oh, darn, it happened again! Good job, Guy. You three, take the case and please leave, mhmyes!"

May put the letter addressed to Steven in her bag and grabbed the briefcase off the table. All too glad to get out, she, Kris and Iris quickly left the office, only stopping to catch their breath once they were in the elevator heading back to the ground floor.

"Well, that was a thing," Kris remarked. "But it looks like we finally have our lead! Nice thinking, May!"

"What lead?" May wondered. "Do you guys want to meet him too?"

"It's a long story," Iris said, but then stopped to ponder and looked up at Kris. "Um, maybe we should tell her, actually. She might have just saved our lives back there."

"I could have gotten out of that," Kris muttered. "But you're right. We'll tell you the full story on the way!" Kris promised May. "Now let's head back to Petalburg, there's a guy called Briney who can get us to Dewford Town!"

"We can't go right away!" May protested. "I still don't have a single gym badge. I couldn't take on Norman, but I have a feeling the local gym leader Roxanne will go down much more easily! She's apparently some pasty little bookworm!"

"It's not like we're in _that_ much of a hurry," Iris shrugged. "I want a gym badge, too! I haven't even competed in an real tournament yet! And if she's really a bookworm, she sounds neat!"

"Eh, we might as well all give it a shot," Kris said. "What's the worse that could happen?"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Rustboro City Gym, Hoenn** _

_**Half an hour later** _

"The written test will begin now!" announced Roxanne, the young, dark-haired gym leader of Rustboro City. "Only those who pass are eligible to challenge me!"

For unknown reasons, the Rustboro City Gym had been modeled to resemble a lecture hall, the actual battlefield being in a room at the back. There were about a dozen challengers in the gym at the moment, though one of them, a fellow wearing a dusty blue coat, was snoozing with his legs on the table and a book covering his face. Iris had jumped at the chance of getting to take a multiple choice test, while Kris had been just frustrated. But May was in an even worse situation, nervously biting her pencil and sweating at the sight of the questions. Only a few minutes passed before Iris cheerfully got up from his chair, gave a thumbs up to Kris and May and headed over to give her paper to Roxanne. The gym leader quickly went over the paper, nodded and guided Iris to the back room.

On the way to the gym, May had warned Kris and Iris that the gym leaders of Hoenn had their eccentricities. Considering how Clair of Blackthorn City was like, Kris didn't believe they could be _that_ bad, but what with Norman's attitude and Roxanne's bizarre approach to being a gym leader, Kris started to think that May had a point. Iris had easily bonded with Roxanne, though, as Roxanne had been more than glad to tell everyone in the room that she had graduated with the highest possible marks from the local Trainer's School and was now a student in Rustboro University, her knowledge of Pokémon battle strategies and biology making her an obvious choice for the gym leader's post.

Still, though she was nervous, Kris was glad she wasn't in May's shoes. Taking a deep breath, Kris started filling out circles randomly, confident that even if she would fail, the Hoenn League was still two months away, giving her plenty of time to get the remaining three badges.

**~o~O~o~**

Meanwhile, in a cave far out in the ocean, somewhere near Sootopolis City, Team Aqua Grunts were stacking Pokémon cages on top of each other, all containing mostly fire-type Pokémon like Numel and Vulpix along with plenty of Poochyena. After their boss had given them a heartfelt lecture on why it was wrong when Team Magma did it, but it was okay for them to steal Pokémon they could potentially use and beat them with electric prods if they got out of hand, the Aquas took a break to eat lunch and entertain each other with stories about how they stole these Pokémon from their trainers.

This was all interrupted by the sudden arrival of Latias, whose near-instantaneous psychic shock waves knocked the Aquas around and blew parts of the cave apart. Those who survived Latias' first Mist Ball attacked quickly fled into a different part of the cave, escaping through a narrow space they were confident Latias couldn't reach them in.

However, this only led them directly on the path of another Pokémon: Mewtwo. For a few seconds, Mewtwo just calmly observed the Aquas, its hand raised and pointing at them, a blue glow emanating from it.

 _Arceus forgive me_ , Mewtwo thought as it flicked its hand, the ensuing explosion engulfing the Aquas.


	3. Eighty Day Challenge: Brendan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To win the challenge, Brendan begins his Coordinator career at a Contest in Verdanturf Town, where he meets an old friend.

**Chapter Three: _Eighty Day Challenge:_ _Brendan_**

_**Location: Verdanturf Town Contest Hall, Hoenn** _

Verdanturf Town was the first destination Brendan headed to. After capturing some Pokémon and teaching them the essentials of good appeals, how to wear their accessories correctly and how to keep their furs smooth and shiny. Though registering for the Normal Rank Contest and getting his first ever Hoenn Contest Pass had made Brendan a little nervous, he still remembered everything he had learned during his time spent competing in Junior Rank Contests in Johto.

And the way the sheer beauty of his Pokémon had bedazzled and clobbered everyone else in those Contests – and those were just ones he had borrowed from his parents.

The process would repeat itself in Verdanturf, earning Brendan a Cool ribbon.

"Behold the sparkling coolness of my Electrike!" Brendan announced to the audience. "Electrike, Thunder Wave!"

Electrike's (who wore sunglasses as an accessory) appeal didn't hit any of the other Pokémon in the Contest. Instead, the thin stream of electricity was released in the air, where it turned into a shape of a spiral before exploding on itself, sending multicolored sparks flying in every direction, earning plenty of applause from the audience.

But the Cool ribbon wasn't enough, as Brendan's Skitty had to get a ribbon too, Brendan entering it in the Normal Rank Cute Contest.

"Gaze upon the heart-melting cuteness of my Skitty!" Brendan announced once again. "Skitty, Attract!"

Skitty, decorated with a red ribbon, released a cloud of pink, floating hearts from its body. The hearts started spinning around Skitty, surrounding the tiny Kitten Pokémon with a ring formed from them. The ring changed shapes into a square, a triangle and a spiral before the hearts eventually popped, showering pink sparkles everywhere.

The crowd went wild, as did the judges, the other contestants being no match for Brendan's fabulous moves. But the best thing happened when Brendan was about to leave the stage after bowing at the audience multiple times. A tall, blue-haired man wearing a white cloak approached him, Brendan recognizing him immediately.

"Young Brendan Ruby," Wallace said as he crouched and bowed at Brendan, "it would be an honor if you'd let me train you in the art of Pokémon Coordination."

"M-master," Brendan stuttered, clasping his hands together, his eyes sparkling with delight. "I accept right away!"

" _Did that actually happen_?"

Brendan had told the story to Wally, sitting in the living room at Wally's aunt and uncle's house. Since it was afternoon on a weekday, Wally's uncle, aunt and cousin were all at work. Wally had listened patiently to Brendan's narration of his Contest victories while Brendan was sewing an appropriate outfit for his Mudkip, wearing his thick-framed working glasses.

"Yeah, I guess I kind of trailed off," Brendan admitted cheerfully while sewing. "So maybe I didn't meet Wallace or even see him, but my instincts tell me that he was there, watching, looking out for promising Coordinators."

"How could he have the time for that?" Wally wondered out loud. "I mean, he's the Top Coordinator, the Pokémon Champion, a published artist..."

"He'll _make_ the time!" Brendan snapped, accidentally pricking his finger with a needle. "Damn it!"

Knowing he'd never get the blood off the fabric, Brendan used his other hand to quickly dive into his bag and pull out a band-aid, which he was quick to apply on the wound.

"But I did get two ribbons!" Brendan proclaimed, gesturing at Electrike and Skitty, who were sleeping close to each other in the corner, both wearing their brand new Normal Rank Ribbons. "And once this awesome outfit is done, I'll enter Mudkip in the tough contest."

"Tough...?" Wally mused and glanced at Brendan's Mudkip, who sat on the kitchen table and gazed vacantly out of the window. "So, why are you getting so many?" Wally asked, turning to Brendan again. "I mean, um, not that I don't _enjoy_ you staying here with me, but... I thought you only need four ribbons of every rank from the same category to get into the Grand Festival."

"Right," Brendan nodded and took off his glasses, putting them carefully back into their case. "But unlike those ruffian gyms, who you can challenge over and over, Contests are held on specified dates and times. If I only pursue, say, Beauty contests, but lose the Hyper Rank one, I'd have to wait who knows how long for the next one. Normally, I wouldn't care, but... I'm on a deadline."

"Ohhh," Wally said in realization, nodding furiously. "You had some kind of bet with May?"

The stoic expression on Brendan's face was all the answer Wally needed.

"That reminds me," Wally continued, "I met her back in Petalburg. She was the one who helped me capture Ralts!"

Wally's Ralts was munching on an apple at Wally's kitchen table after having played with Brendan's Mudkip. Wally looked at his first Pokémon with warmth, while Brendan tried his best to ignore the comments about May.

"That so," Brendan remarked.

"Yeah... speaking of which, when are you two going to get hitched?"

" _Mind your own_ – I mean, what in the world are you talking about? Oh, but look at the time, I've gotta get back to the Contest Hall. Time to show these rubes what I'm made of!"

"You shouldn't talk about us like that," Wally said meekly, his words falling on deaf ears when Brendan focused on rounding up his Pokémon, demonstrating the outfit he just finished to Mudkip. "Don't you love the clean mountain air and the quiet atmosphere in this town?"

Brendan scoffed. "This place is dusty and boring," he complained. "I'm from Goldenrod City, and _that_ place is the gold standard all other towns should be compared to! Get some tea ready for me, Wally – this won't even take long."

Brendan happily skipped out of the house with his Pokémon proudly in tow, all of them showing off their accessories and newly won ribbons. Reaching the Contest Hall, Brendan marched to the reception desk full of confidence, only to be slightly deflated by someone having made to the desk first.

Brendan was about to yell at the girl with pigtails in front of her to move, but his eyes sparkled with delight once more and his annoyed face turned to a wide smile when he recognized her. Even though it had been many years, no other person would wear that silly combo of a red shirt, blue overalls and a puffy, white hat with a red ribbon on it.

"LYRA!" Brendan shouted, prompting the girl in question to turn around, only to see Brendan tackle and hug her dramatically – even though Lyra herself was short, Brendan was only up to her chin. "You came all the way from Johto to see me!"

"Brendan?!" Lyra exclaimed in shock and didn't return the hug, just looked down at the beaming face of the boy who had just hugged her, his eyes filled with tears of joy. "Wow, I mean I heard you had moved to Hoenn, but I didn't even know where-"

"You remember me after all these years!" Brendan exclaimed enthusiastically and turned to wipe his eyes. "It's such a touching moment..."

Lyra pushed Brendan a bit away from her. Of course, she did remember. Years ago, as a kid, whenever Lyra would visit her grandparents who lived near Goldenrod City, she would have a walk through the city and visit the Contest Hall, where Brendan was watching the contests. As Brendan's mother was an organizer and DJ for those contests, Brendan was able to come and enjoy the shows whenever he felt like for free. He and Lyra would often play together and try out accessories for Lyra's grandparents' Marill and Norman's Zigzagoon, much to Norman's dismay. Though Brendan was never as close to Lyra as Kris and Ethan had been, Lyra still looked forward to meeting him every time.

"The only person in the world who appreciated the sheer beauty of Pokémon as much as me," Brendan reminisced. "It's good to see you again, old friend. But why did you leave the glamor of Johto for such a dusty old place?"

Lyra smiled. "You're as flamboyant as ever, Brendan. Just don't hug me without warning next time. But yeah, it is nice to see you. Still throwing a hissy fit whenever someone mentions your father?"

Lyra asked the question innocently, but hearing the word 'father' already deflated Brendan even further and caused him to clench his fists and sulk dramatically.

"He still doesn't think being a Coordinator is a worthy career for me," Brendan grumbled. "I haven't even talked to him about it in years."

"I thought so," Lyra shrugged, but still smiled cheerfully. "Cheer up, though. Even if you'll live on with the thought that you'll have disappointed your father, you could still be a Top Coordinator one day!"

Brendan laughed at Lyra's bluntness, adjusted his hat and posed for a nonexistent camera.

"You bet I will!" he said as he somehow made himself sparkle majestically.

"Well, I'm here to kill time and search for ways to improve myself and my Pokémon 'till the Hoenn League starts," Lyra announced. "I was going to enter my Typhlosion to the Normal Rank Beauty Contest and get a Hoenn Contest Pass while I was at it."

"I'm betting you'll ace it – since I'm not entering, that is," Brendan said and gave Lyra thumbs up. He then lifted his Mudkip from the floor and showed it to Lyra. "I'm going to enter this baby to the Tough Contest. Lyra, Mudkip, Mudkip, Lyra."

Lyra clasped her hands together and squeed. "It's so cute – and that outfit you made is awesome!"

Brendan had sewn Mudkip a bandanna and a little outfit with a camouflage pattern to make it look tougher. It didn't work, gauging from Lyra's reaction as she petted the Mudkip's head, causing it to smile widely.

"I know," Brendan said and beamed under the praise, "but still, doesn't it look kind of... fierce?"

Lyra looked at the little blue Pokémon. "No," she said after three seconds of thinking.

"At least think a little while longer!"

Lyra thought for five seconds. "Still no."

Brendan sighed, but got over it quickly as he lifted the Mudkip in the air. "Well, I don't care!" he announced. "The winner of the Verdanturf Town Normal Rank Tough Contest will be me! Oh, and Mudkip, too!"

Brendan's posturing hadn't gone unnoticed, though most of the crowd in the Contest Hall's reception area had gotten used to it during Brendan's stay in the town. However, a young, dark-haired man wearing glasses and a fancy, blue suit approached Lyra and Brendan from the crowd.

"Excuse my interruption, miss," the man said to Lyra politely, completely ignoring Brendan. "Might you be Lyra from New Bark Town? I wouldn't ask otherwise, but I was particularly interested when I saw you at the Silver Conference three months ago."

"Oh, sure, that's me!" Lyra said cheerfully and nudged Brendan with her elbow. "Wow, didn't know my fame extended all the way over here. So, mister, you want an autograph or something?"

The man smiled and waved the offer away. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cheren, I'm a gym leader in Aspertia City, Unova. But my other job is to also estimate the abilities of promising trainers and boost their careers... you could say I'm a talent scout, though that makes it sound far too cold."

"Well, if it's talent you're looking for, Mr. Cheren, you better look out for me in the upcoming contest!" Brendan announced.

Cheren stared at Brendan blankly before turning back to Lyra. "Could we perhaps talk privately?" he asked.

"Sure, I don't see why not," Lyra said and shrugged. "Later, Brendan! Good luck!"

Brendan wasn't happy to see Lyra and the weird Cheren guy walk away, but was then reminded of the more important matters at hand. He registered to the Normal Rank Tough Contest and quickly ran to the locker rooms together with his Pokémon.

As the contest began, Brendan and Mudkip stood in a row with the other three Coordinators and their Pokémon, Brendan being third from the left. He kept his eyes closed throughout the first round, where the judges and the audience evaluated the Pokémon's condition. The scores given by both parties would then accumulate to the second round, the Appeal Round. At least, that was how Hoenn's Contests worked, apart from the Grand Festival, where battling was expected as well, though the winner in those matches wasn't the one who was the most powerful, but who fought with the most style and grace.

As in Pokémon battles, an overenthusiastic announcer was always present:

" _Welcome, welcome and once again welcome to the Verdanturf Town Normal Rank Tough Contest! Without a single doubt, I can say that we're definitely going to see some magnificent displays of strength today._ _First up, let's hear it for Mariah's Aron!_ "

The Aron's iron skin shined as it displayed its impenetrable toughness. The audience applauded slightly. 6, 8 and 5 from the judges.

" _Next up, we have Morris and his Makuhita! Look at those muscles, folks!_ "

The Makuhita and its broad-shouldered trainer both flexed their muscles together. The audience applauded a bit louder. 8, 8 and 4 from the judges.

" _Then, we have frequent Contest-goer Brendan and his Mudkip. There is definitely more than meets the eye here_!"

The audience applauded loudly as Brendan demonstrated his Mudkip's outfit, the Mudkip attempting to look as fierce as possible. Brendan had already swayed the crowd thanks to his earlier Contests, but the judges were a harder bunch to please. Even with all the time it took for Brendan to make a badass uniform for Mudkip, his results were a 6, 7 and a 3 from the jury, slightly upsetting him. Even if he already had two ribbons, the lack of appreciation for his sewing was like a punch in the gut for him.

" _And lastly, Contest veteran Harley and his curmudgeon of a Cacturne! Let's hear it for him!_ "

The crowd went absolutely nuts – Brendan didn't know such a small audience could produce such noise. Brendan looked to his right, noticing the man called Harley. He had long and fabulous purple hair, big blue eyes and a peculiar green outfit that resembled his equally peculiar Pokémon. The Cacturne looked like a green scarecrow made of cacti, and wasn't exactly the first thing that leaped to Brendan's mind when thinking of beautiful Pokémon, but the jury gave him a 9, a 9 and a 5. Harley blew kisses and posed at the crowd – Brendan had to seriously step up his game.

In preparation for the second round, Brendan caught Harley polishing his Cacturne. Wondering if he could steal some tricks from him, Brendan decided to try to engage in friendly small talk with him.

"Hi," he said as he approached Harley, "I'm-"

"Yes, yes, Brandon, I heard, please, darling, I'm in the middle of preparations," Harley snapped without taking his eyes off his Pokémon.

 _Wow,_ Brendan thought.

"Uh, sorry," he said and took a step back to look at the Cacturne, who patiently waited for Harley to finish working on his leg spikes. "Man, your Pokémon sure is something. It's kind of scary up close-"

Harley turned to glare at Brendan so quickly that his neck cracked, causing Brendan to flinch.

"What did you say?" Harley whispered threateningly.

"Um, nothing, I meant it in a good way – this is the toughness contest, after all!" Brendan quickly said.

Harley nodded, seemingly placated for now, and turned back to work on polishing his Pokémon with big, smooth gestures that made Brendan a bit uncomfortable.

"You did pretty well on the first round, especially considering you didn't even accessorize your Pokémon," Brendan continued, "though your outfit is pretty cool. Didja get it off the rack?"

Harley turned to glare at Brendan again, even faster this time, metaphorical daggers shooting out of his eyes as he stood up and looked down on Brendan, being a foot taller than him.

"Ignorant little – this is hand-made," Harley proclaimed. "My wife supplies me the fabric, I prepare the outfits! My dream is to one day win the Grand Festival and use the prize money to move to Kalos, where me and my wife will be made the cream of high society – no more of them looking down on us!"

"Um, cool, I just wondered if you could get those anywhere," Brendan flustered. "So... do you live in Hoenn?"

"For now," Harley said. "We move from region to region and don't stay long in one place. We've already been to Johto and Sinnoh. Though I hardly expected Hoenn to be so – rural," he added in disgust.

Brendan gasped. "I feel the same way," he said. "So, now that we're buddies-"

"Well, I can spare you a few minutes, sugar-plum," Harley said and flicked his hair back. "I mean, surely you've heard of me and my conquering of the contests in Sinnoh before."

"Um... nope, sorry," Brendan said.

Harley's eye twitched, but he cleared his throat and covered it up quickly. "Well, then, I would suppose my magnificent Cacturne's reputation would precede mine! Surely you've heard of the numerous ribbons he's won?"

"That'd be a no," Brendan said. "Never even seen one until now."

Harley ground his teeth together. "Well, then, Brendy-pie, you'll see first hand in the Contest when my Cacturne's style obliterates you and your Mudkip." He glared at the Mudkip, whose outfit Brendan had expanded with an eye patch and a plastic battle knife Mudkip held in its mouth. "To think you'd resort to such petty tactics as putting a tacky garment on your Pokémon to win."

Now it was Brendan's turn twitch. In a moment of barely constrained fury, Brendan and Harley glared at each other, their respective Pokémon just staring obliviously on the background. Before they could tear out each others throats, the judge announced that the second round had begun.

During the appeal round, Mariah's Aron improved its score by using an Iron Defense and Take Down combo, managing to completely shatter some rocks Mariah had laid on the field, causing tiny, sparkling stone pebbles to rain on the field, which excited the audience.

Morris' Makuhita also relied on strength. Using a cinder block Morris had dragged into the field, Morris had Makuhita use Seismic Toss to toss the block into the air, then use Arm Thrust on the block when it landed to shatter it in two, clean pieces. The audience was excited, and the judges gave a good score, but he didn't do as well as Mariah.

When it was Brendan's turn, Brendan became acutely aware that he hadn't trained his Mudkip to be physically strong. Instead, Brendan opted to try a different kind of toughness. First, he had Mudkip do a Rain Dance that created a localized rain cloud directly above Mudkip. Then, he used Bide to make Mudkip glow red and absorb the rainwater on itself before releasing it into the air with enormous pressure. Finally, Mudkip leaped into the air and used its fake knife to split the streams of water, drenching the field with glittering drops of water. Brendan got the highest score so far, and he and Mudkip bowed at the audience together.

When it came Harley's turn, Brendan watched from the sidelines, he and Mudkip leaning as close as possible. Harley had clearly practiced the appeal before, having to merely snap his fingers to make Cacturne spin rapidly on the ground, whipping up a small sandstorm that raged like a tornado around Harley and Cacturne, obscuring both from view. For a few seconds, Brendan couldn't see what was happening, but then Cacturne emerged from the pillar of sand with a Low Kick that scattered the sand all over the arena in a clean fashion, forming a silhouette of Cacturne on the ground, which made the crowd go absolutely insane, though after the jury's score, he only became second on the scoreboard, after Brendan.

But during Cacturne's attack, sand had been thrown into Mudkip's eyes. Brendan became panicked and quickly tried to clean it off, but it only seemed to worsen the situation, causing pained squeals from the Mudkip. Seeing as no one else had been hit by the sand, no one believed Brendan's complaint that Harley had done it deliberately, but either way, Brendan was forced to withdraw from the Contest and rush Mudkip to the Pokémon Center. As he left the Contest Hall, he glared at Harley, seeing him wave and blow a kiss in Brendan's direction, making Brendan shake with anger.

 _I_ will _destroy that man,_ Brendan thought.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Unknown, Hoenn** _

Mewtwo sat in the darkness of the cave on the outskirts of Hoenn, the daylight from outside barely penetrating the cracks and holes in the cave, but it was still far too dark to see in front of ones face. As Mewtwo meditated, it ruminated on the questions still lingering on its mind. Who am I? Why am I here? Who brought me here? Why am I fighting? What value does my existence have?

 _Who brought me here_? That was an easy answer. Dr. Blaine, Dr. Fuji and the rest of the scientists, of course. But then, Mewtwo had killed them all but spared Blaine. What had given it more right to live than the others? _Why couldn't I kill him too?_ More importantly, how can humans create something out of nothing? Humans were far below the levels of Mewtwo and Latias, and even far, _far_ further below the likes of the fabled Arceus, the Original Pokémon Mewtwo had heard about so much.

 _Why am I here_? Because the human Giovanni wanted to use its power. Because Mew was out of his reach. But to think of that as the only reason... Mewtwo couldn't stand it. There had to be something else...

 _Why am I fighting_?

"Hi!" a perky voice said suddenly.

"Amb-"

Mewtwo turned to look. Latias was floating upside down from the cave's ceiling, presumably gazing at Mewtwo. It was hard to tell in the darkness and with Latias' pupils missing.

"Why are you in the ceiling?" Mewtwo asked flatly as it returned to meditate.

"'Cause I am," Latias replied. "I can't _believe_ the amazing rush I felt when I got to make those bastard humans explode with my own attacks! I _have_ to do that again! My scales are itching, my blood is boiling... I have to experience that again soon."

"We still have to lay low a bit," Mewtwo said calmly. "I'm currently attempting to telepathically shift through news broadcasts to see if they're after us and to find a new target."

"You can do that?" Latias wondered. "My brother and I were one of the most powerful psychics in this world but never knew anything about that!"

"Perhaps you didn't try hard enough," Mewtwo remarked. "I'm trying to concentrate."

"...has anyone told you that you're way too serious all the time?" Latias asked.

Mewtwo stopped shifting through the radio and TV broadcasts that had formed a foggy tempest of sounds and images in its mind. As its hands stopped glowing, Mewtwo opened its eyes again, staring into the darkness of the cave.

"I'm sorry to hear about your brother," it said simply.

Latias fired a Mist Ball directly at Mewtwo's spot, Mewtwo dodging at the last minute, the attack blowing the flat rock it was sitting on into fine powder. A purple glow was enveloping Latias' entire body, her milky white eyes glaring at Mewtwo, about to unleash a Dark-type attack.

"How did you know?!" she screamed at Mewtwo. "You shouldn't be able to read my mind!"

"I didn't have to," Mewtwo said firmly. "Calm down – if you use too much power, you'll destroy this cave and yourself in the process!"

Latias stared at Mewtwo a little while longer, but eventually the purple glow subsided and Latias landed on the ground, closing her eyes.

"I didn't think he was any fun either," Latias admitted. "He was always so focused on his tasks, never letting me even consider attempting to contact humans. I used to disagree with him about it all the time... pretty ironic, isn't it?"

"Latias," Mewtwo said, "what if I told you that not all-"

"What if _I_ told you that I don't need you to tell me that they're not 'all' like that?!" Latias snapped, causing Mewtwo flinch. "I can pick up surface thoughts from you, too – you're not as good at hiding them as you'd like to think! I _knew_ you were secretly thinking that all along, but you went with me to kill those humans in blue uniforms anyway! If you have to convince me so hard that they're not 'all like that', then it just goes to show you how terrible they are! If you're going to betray me, I can kill you without a second thought!"

"Those people in blue uniforms were ordered to capture you!" Mewtwo countered. "You wanted to kill humans, I wanted to protect you, so they had to be a priority!"

"...who was it that you seem to care so much for?" Latias wondered.

Mewtwo turned away from Latias as it responded. "Just like your captors took a brother from you, someone very important to me died because of those who were going to enslave me. She was a human, or she said she was one, and she was my first real connection to this world. I'm not sure if we knew each other for a few weeks, a few months or a few years, but either way, it felt like a long time for me. When she died, it felt like I lost all hope, but in the end, as much as it pains me to say this... it was her words that reminded me that I do have a place in this world, even if I haven't found it yet..."

Mewtwo turned at Latias, who had listened intently throughout his monologue.

"...but I want to help you, that's for sure!" Mewtwo insisted.

Latias narrowed her eyes. "Are you going to back down on your promise?"

Mewtwo sat where his mediation spot had been, crossed its legs in a lotus position and closed its eyes again, the blue glow surrounding its hands once more.

"No," it said. "I will help you get your revenge. But I ask that you trust me in the meantime."

There was a moment of silence as Mewtwo focused on its meditation, Latias staring at it for a long time.

"Mewtwo," she said finally.

"Yes?"

"...I trust you."

**~o~O~o¨**

_**Location: Route 104, Hoenn** _

" _Kris' log, day 4 in Hoenn._ _Well,_ _my tried-and-true method of making crap up and hoping for the best didn't work this time, but I still stand by my success rate: it worked 53% of the time in school!_ _Fortunately for my ego, May flunked the test as well,_ _so we both had to try two more times until we finally nailed it._ _I really wanted to get off Rustboro and try another gym, but since May is the one with the letter and the package, we didn't have much choice."_

" _That Roxanne's Nosepass was nothing against Croc, but I was surprised how easily May's Shroomish took it down as well, so now all three of us have the Stone Badge, bringing my badge count to six, Iris' to seven and May's to... one. She keeps fretting about some 'deadline' but hasn't told me the specifics._ "

" _When we had free time, we trained, though sometimes it feels like May was training us – well, mostly Iris, as that ingrate doesn't take much advice from me. Either way, her style is something that I haven't been used to._ _At first I thought it was a Hoenn thing, but even people here seem to find her a bit... odd_."

"You say your Zigzagoon is sick, huh?" May cheerfully asked from the rich boy she defeated on her way back to Petalburg, the rich boy having covered up by being too wealthy to train properly and that his Zigzagoon hadn't been in 'top condition'. "I'll check its condition in no time!"

And with that, May lifted the rich boy's Zigzagoon and brought its butt right up against her nose despite wails of protests from the rich boy and a suppressed mix of laughter and disgust from Kris and Iris.

" _Still, all those practical skills have come to use, I admit. So far, she hasn't lost against a single trainer she has challenged except for Norman back in Petalburg and Iris when they had a practice match. I asked when she was going to have one with me; she laughed for two minutes straight_. _Either way, we're about to arrive to the place where Captain Cutter's friend lives and I'm almost out of in_ -"

"Damn it," Kris cursed, threw her useless pen away and put her journal back in her bag.

Kris, Iris and May had arrived to Mr. Briney's cottage, an old wooden shack near the beach. Though the house looked dilapidated, Briney clearly had enough moolah to have a personal jetty and a large boat. Kris and Iris glanced at each other uncertainly near the entrance, while May marched confidently to the door and knocked on it.

But there was no answer. May knocked again, more briskly, but oddly enough, the trio could hear noise from the inside. All three pressed their ears against the door.

" _Ah, get her, lad! Peeko, stand still, they're just visitors! Hold her down, wouldya, lad, I need to get the door!_ "

Kris, Iris and May quickly backed away from the door as it was briskly opened by an old, bald man with a bushy white beard smoking a pipe.

"Sorry, lasses, I've already found Arceus," Briney said roughly. "Tell the rest of them that you better not mess with this old fisherman, as I know plenty of stuff from my Navy days-"

"I-it's not that, Mr. Briney!" Kris said quickly. "We came to ask you for a favor. M-my name is Kris, and these are Iris and May. We're friends with Captain Cutter!"

Briney narrowed his eyes and his expression changed immediately. Iris quickly handed him the folded paper Cutter had written. As Briney unfolded it and started to read it, his expression turned again, this time to a grin followed by boisterous laughter.

"Ah, that wily old bastard!" he laughed and slapped Iris on the shoulder, startling her. "He'll never let that old thing go! Well, come on in then and we'll discuss matters. You have to excuse the mess – we have another guest. And take your damn shoes off!"

Briney limped inside, May briskly following suit, followed by Kris and Iris, though a bit uncertainly. Still, all three removed their shoes without hesitation and followed Briney into the main room of the shack, a combined kitchen and living room. There was a musty smell emanating from the house, but Kris wasn't sure if it came from the walls, the furniture, Briney himself or whatever a man near the stove was cooking.

"I retired from sailin' and became just a regular old fisherman," Briney informed as he dragged himself to the nearest chair and sat down.

When some kind of white liquid dropped on her shoulder, Kris winced in disgust and looked up, noting a Wingull flying around the ceiling, starting to squawk at the three as soon as Kris made eye contact with it. Kris knew what it was, seeing as the Petalburg Harbor was swarming with about eighty billion of those creatures, but hadn't had a chance to scan one until now...

"Don't do it," Iris told Kris exasperatedly. "I'll tell you about it later if you want."

"Sorry," Kris said sheepishly. "You of all people shouldn't blame a girl for wanting to learn."

"It's not that, I just don't want to hear that PokéDex talk now."

"Settle down, Peeko!" Briney snapped at the Wingull. "Behave yourself when we have company!"

Surprisingly, the Peeko obliged, flying on a couch in the corner and landed gracefully on a cushion, folding its wings and staring with its black button eyes. Kris had to admit it was kind of cute – but if it ever pooped on her clothes again, Croc would get himself a good snack.

"Sit down, sit down, don't stay at the door!" Briney said warmly, and Kris, Iris and May assumed seats around the table. "It's pretty late in the evening, so why don't ya stay here for tonight? But before we agree on anything, where do you want to go?"

"Dewford Town!" May said immediately. "We have business there! A letter needs to reach its destination."

Briney chuckled. "Can't rely on the post office these days, eh?" he said. "That's only an hour away, but as a habit, I avoid sailing after sunset! Why don't you grab a bite to eat it instead!"

"Ooh, good, I'm really hungry!" Iris said enthusiastically. "Thank you, Mr. Briney!"

"Not a problem," Briney grinned. "Hope you like Tentacool soup!"

Iris and Kris stared at each other, but Iris just shrugged.

"Eh, I heard what he said, but somehow I'm still hungry," she said.

She then turned to look at the man who kept working near the stove, wearing a frilly, pink apron which clashed oddly with his long, blue coat and dusty, black boots. In fact, the duster in particular seemed oddly familiar, and as Kris noted, the man seemed to be quietly laughing to himself as he cooked.

"Excuse me, but what's your name?" Iris asked the cook politely.

"Where are my manners!" Briney laughed and slapped himself in the forehead so hard that Kris flinched. "Lasses, this here lad has stayed at my house since yesterday. I don't particularly care for drifters, but he's earned his keep, and best yet, he went into the Rusturf Tunnel to save my darling Peeko from one of those Team Magma scoundrels!"

Kris leaned closer to Briney.

"Did you say Team Magma?" she asked, surprised. "So they're here, too..."

"Hm?"

"Mr. Briney, two days ago, a Team Aqua member attacked us at the Petalburg Woods," Iris explained. "Well, he attacked a Devon employee, actually-"

"And I was the one who drove her off!" May boasted. "Any schmucks from Team Magma try to come into my way and I'll beat 'em to the curb as well!"

The man near the stove made another weird noise, and this time Kris was sure that he was laughing. May heard it too, and turned to glare at the man's back.

"You find that funny?" she asked him. "What do you know about those teams anyway? And don't you have the guts to turn around and talk to me?"

"Team Aqua," Briney said raspily and started stroking his glorious beard. "I've crossed paths with them once this year while sailing from Lilycove to Mossdeep. They were up to something there and almost sunk my boat – but no one believed my story. Granted, that might have been because I had to soothe my nerves with a bottle or two of rum after that, but still... if they're around, they could be planning something in Dewford. They mainly move on water."

But Briney soon grinned and slammed the table enthusiastically, and turned to look at the cook's back.

"But then, you'll take care of 'em too, right lad?" Briney asked him. "Lasses, this here is a genuine drifter slash bounty hunter from Orre, according to himself anyway. His name is-"

"Wes," the man said as he turned. "Wes Marston, nice to meet y'all."

Iris gasped while Kris almost sank her nails into Briney's table. Kris hadn't seen the man in three months, but every encounter with him seemed to lead to inevitable feelings of annoyance mixed with disgust. Kris was sure that he had decided not to dog her anymore, but there he was, with his messy dark blonde hair, golden brown eyes and smug expression.

"No need to introduce me to these two," Wes told Briney and gestured at Kris and Iris. "Good to see you, Iris. Same to you, Krissy."

"Why are you here?" Kris asked Wes through clenched teeth.

"You know what, I'm just gonna be honest with you, I wanted to find you guys," Wes said casually. "It has to do with a certain... Champion."


	4. The Eight Trials

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While in search of Steven Stone in Dewford Town, Kris meets a representative from the Pokémon League while the gang is troubled by Team Aqua.

**Chapter Four: _The_ _Eight_ _Trials_**

_**Location: Mr. Briney's boat, en route to Dewford Town, Hoenn** _

The group spent the night at Briney's rather uncomfortably, Kris, Iris and May having to sleep in his boat, which was now speeding towards Dewford Town. Kris and Iris had caught a glimpse of the sea route upon arrival to Hoenn (their current location being somewhere between Routes 105 and 106), but now they could see the various small, sparsely populated islands and the abundance of water Pokémon clearer than before, Iris almost falling off the edges of the boat in her attempt to catch a closer look of Hoenn's life aquatic.

To Kris' surprise, Wes had been rather taciturn throughout the trip, though his smug expression still remained the same. That gave the group a chance to give their Pokémon a rest, May feeding her Torchic and Shroomish, Iris attempting to teach her Sliggoo how to do tricks and Kris allowing Croc to swim next to the boat and Honchkrow to fly near it, also allowing Shrew to eat a little.

Shrew still didn't seem too fond of Wes, and as the latter didn't want to say why and the former was... a Pokémon, Kris still had to stay in the dark. Either way, the Sandshrew hissed exposed its claws whenever Wes tried to come near. Finally, after they had sailed almost an hour, Wes seemed to be ready to talk. Kris, Iris and May joined him in the cabin under the deck, leaving their Pokémon, except for May's Torchic, above to frolic around.

Kris noticed Wes had let at least one of his Pokémon out, too, though his Espeon just sat on a pillow in the corner, uncaring of the happenings around it. Kris, Iris and May sat in a row opposite to Wes, who had a bunch of papers in front of him.

"You sure you can read all of those?" Kris said icily, having crossed her arms while glaring at Wes. "They don't have a lot pictures in them, it seems."

Wes seemed to brush it off easily. "My mother is Orre's regional professor now, you know."

"A fact that I have to remind myself of," Kris remarked.

"Okay, calm down, everyone," Iris said and smiled at Wes. "We're both happy to see you, even her-"

"No," Kris argued.

"-we're just surprised that you're here, especially after disappearing on us at Mt. Silver," Iris finished, ignoring Kris. Oddly enough, she seemed to smile warmly to Wes and even sat the closest to him.

Even more weirdly, Wes smiled back. "I knew you missed me, at least," he said suavely. "I just wanted to see that Kris was okay – after I had confirmed that, there wasn't much reason to stay. Well, maybe some," he added, grinning obnoxiously, "but I had important things to worry about."

"Would that be all those agents crawling around?" Kris asked. "You're a criminal, after all."

"I would call myself misunderstood," Wes pondered, "but no, I had to investigate something, and if you don't want the results-"

"Ahem!"

Everyone looked at May, who had been feeding blue PokéBlocks to her Torchic all this time, but seemed to have listened to the conversation, too, and had now raised her hand in the air.

"Fill the new girl in, would ya?" May said. "Who is this guy?"

"It's a long story-" Kris began.

"Yeah, whatever, but if you guys want me to show you around Hoenn, you can't leave me in the dark!" May argued stubbornly. "'Coz I'll be asking you all the time until you give in!"

"Sorry about that, May, politeness is a new concept to good old Krissy here," Wes said to May smarmily, making an effort to show that he remembered her name. "But we go way back with her and Iris-"

"No, we just met you four months ago," Kris sighed and turned to May. "Here's the thing. About four to five months ago, I started my Pokémon journey-"

"So you _are_ a rookie!" May gasped. "You lied to me!"

"Technically, no," Kris said awkwardly. "I'm still more experienced than you, and I have been, uh, mentally preparing becoming a trainer since I could walk, so there! Now would you please listen?"

Kris cleared her throat.

"So, I wanted to compete in the Silver Conference, but I didn't have the time to run around Johto to get _all_ eight badges – the ones I got were merely to test how much I had improved."

"To compete, you usually have to have eight badges or sign in _very_ early and pay an extravagant sum of money," Iris exposited. "Since Kris was close to professor Elm, she caught wind of one other way: to complete a set of dangerous and character-testing tasks laid out by the Blackthorn Dragon Clan and, uh, some monks in Ecruteak City, since they uphold the old laws of Pokémon competitions in Johto."

"Weird place," May remarked. "Over here we _have_ to have eight badges – or four ribbons if you're some pansy Coordinator," she grumbled.

"Well, the same goes for Johto, usually, but the Silver Conference is a much bigger event than a traditional league tournament!" Kris insisted. "Anyway, that's how I met Iris here, but along the way, I got into all kinds of trouble with Team Rocket..."

May tilted her head. "That a soccer team?"

"No, it's – like Team Aqua and Team Magma, but less stupid in terms of goals and uniforms," Kris said quickly. "Anyway, I completed the tasks, but got caught up in something bigger. Me and my friends were used as pawns in Team Rocket's plans, and something even more than that. That's when I found out _Wes_ here," Kris glanced at Wes, "had been keeping tabs on me for some shady purpose."

"To evaluate how you fit into the grand scheme of things," Wes insisted, "and 'cause I was bored. She, well, her Pokémon, defeated the guy who had resurrected Team Rocket, and for once without any help! Well, unless you count my crucial part in the whole thing."

"But what this guy neglected to explain," Kris nodded at Wes, "was what it was all about. The only thing me and Iris know is that there's this weird prophecy thing that may or may not involve the former Champion of the Indigo League, Red."

"You told me you're looking for him," May nodded. "Why?"

"We just want to know what he's doing," Kris said nonchalantly and turned to look at Wes. " _This guy_ can tell us if there's another reason we should."

"You better believe there is," Wes smirked.

Wes laid all of his documents on the floor, and by his request, Iris also put the papers Wes had given to her back at Mt. Silver near them, spreading the sheets of paper all over the floor, practically filling most of the space in the cabin.

"According to that friend o' Red's I told you about," Wes began to explain, "this thing dates back to anything between a few hundred to a few _thousand_ years in the past. Like I said, it might as well be just some ancient bedtime story or whatever, but it's pretty interesting in some parts... we all know about the big war in the north thirty years ago?"

Iris nodded. "The Pokémon-Human war," she said immediately and began a lecture. "It was said that humans were being killed by legendary Pokémon believed to be the 'Swords of Justice', in accordance with an ancient legend of the same happening hundreds of years ago. No one knew for sure, but during the war, not only were hordes of Pokémon apparently attacking humans, but so were humans who had allied themselves with them. Similarly, many Pokémon fought in the war on the human's side."

"I've heard of that!" May was quick to say to prove that she wasn't ignorant either. "The war lasted for five years until they sent some Pokémon masters from Unova to deal with it, right?"

"The Seven Sages," Iris nodded thoughtfully. "But only two of them survived. One is a now a reclusive gym leader in Kanto and the other one became a scientist. The battle ended where the Holon region is now, and that just happens to be the main place where Pokémon are trained for defense."

Wes started to rub his temples and stare at the papers thoughtfully. "One of the passages over _here_ ," he jabbed at one of the papers, "apparently talks about the 'cycles of age', or 'wheel of time' or something like that. History repeats itself – and isn't there a big hullabaloo about those three people supposedly killed by Suicune?"

"I'm gonna prove them wrong!" Kris said determinedly. "But right now, we need to translate this thing. Where does it talk about Red?"

"In these three," Wes said and pointed at the three papers closest to him. "Something about 'a child shall rise' and 'a child shall lead them'. Of course, they drew maps and calculated time in a completely different way from us, but we can say that the Champion originated what is _approximately_ Kanto and began his journey _approximately_ three years ago. It's all open to interpretation, however."

Kris groaned. "Why do ancient texts have to be so damn vague?"

"The real question is, why do languages have to be so damn vague?" Wes countered. "Really, for all we know, this could be a recipe for a really tasty sponge cake."

"So Iris' paper says that 'a successor will rise and save the Champion from a fate worse than death'?" Kris asked.

"Seems so," Wes said and shrugged. "They imply that the Champion is the new 'Transcendent One' and his or her successor will follow in their footsteps – probably. But the successor must prove themselves though arduous trials, suffering and so on – most of that hasn't been translated yet. Then there's something about a meteor... an invasion... a resurrection... opening of a gateway..."

"Yeah, it's vague, we get the picture," Kris grumbled, looking at the cabin's ceiling contemplatively. "But if you and Red's friend sought me out..."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Wes said immediately. "This isn't about you being some chosen figure – quite the contrary, we've already established the chosen figure, now we need to find the successor. You have potential, but that's about it. It's still too vague to be sure."

But Kris continued to stare at the ceiling with her arms crossed, a sly smile on her lips.

 _A successor to one of the greatest trainers of all time... no matter what that means, with that much influence, I could show a few people how it's done_ – _and shut Lyra up for good._

"Well, we best pick these back up," Iris said perkily and started to reassemble the papers. "Once we find someone who can read this text-"

" _Dewford Town ahoy, children_!" Briney yelled from above deck. " _We'll be in dock in about seven minutes_!"

Indeed, six minutes and fifty-seven seconds later, Briney's ship was in dock and Kris, Iris, May and Wes disembarked. Mr. Briney promised to wait until the letter had been delivered and take the group into Slateport next, no charge.

Leaving the docks, the group took in the sights of the island town. It seemed almost the entirety of the town was located on one big beach, with some countryside and wilderness further away. Dewford gave even more of a humble, small town -vibe than New Bark Town had ever done, the beach housing a huge market full of little shops and stands.

"Okay, and now to look for this Steven guy," May said spiritedly, observing the sealed letter she was holding. "Yeah. Look for him, we must. Definitely."

An awkward silence followed.

"Any ideas?" May asked quietly.

"Wait, Mr. Stone said that his son collects rare rocks, right?" Iris remembered.

May opened the PokéNav Stone had given her and brought up a holographic map of the Hoenn region. As May zoomed in closer, the group could see a map of the island they were on, Dewford Town included.

"The PokéGear can't do that!" Kris commented. "Amazing piece of technology, that. Any thoughts?"

"There's a place called the Granite Cave on the outskirts of this town," Iris pointed out. "Seems like a logical place to start from if you're looking for stones."

May scoffed. "He's an ex-Champion and he wanders around collecting rocks? Weirdo."

"They could have gems inside them, though," Wes pondered. "Imagine the profits of selling one of those babies – and imagine how cool would I look if I decorated my Pokémon with them? Their flash would _blind_ anyone I'd fight!"

"Yeah, yeah, that's amazing and all that," Kris murmured. "But now that there's so many of us... I don't think _all of us_ need to go."

"Well, I'm going for sure!" May said enthusiastically. "I promised to get this delivered and I want to get it done as quickly as possible – and there could be some cool Pokémon over there I can use against this town's gym leader!"

"Yeah, yeah, you go on to do that," Kris said, nodding furiously and almost pushing May in the right direction. "I'm going to check out the markets in case he's there instead. Iris, you can go with her - call me on the PokéGear if something comes up. Remember," Kris said in a suddenly serious, firm voice, making eye contact with Iris, "ask him about _everything_."

Iris tapped her nose with her finger briefly.

"Wes," Kris said, "you should-"

"Come with you?" Wes suggested quickly. "Fantastic! Two and two seems like a good split. Plus, balance is important – this way, we'll have one rookie and one powerful trainer in both groups!"

Kris wanted to kick Wes in the shin and narrowed her eyes at him, but arguing now would seem far too suspicious.

"Fine," she grunted. "You can come with me!"

"Yay," Wes squeed in a high-pitched voice. "See you later!" he told May and Iris and cheerfully waved as they walked away.

As Iris and May left, Kris started marching through the beach into the inner parts of the town, following the frequently placed signs to find her goal. Wes kept up with her pace easily, continuing to eye her suspiciously as they walked.

"What?!" Kris snapped at him.

"So, what's up with this?" Wes asked. "What are you scheming?"

Kris snorted. "You, of all people, accuse me of 'scheming'?"

"Yes," Wes said. "Are you?"

"...yes."

"Knew it."

"Shut up," Kris grumbled. "I'm going to find the gym."

"I'm guessing it's not to test his abilities so you can guide May, is it?" Wes guessed, prompting Kris to glare at him. "Yeah, she told me you guys are training her. That would be mighty thoughtful of ya... which means it's probably not true."

"Well, I might as well try to battle him now that I'm here," Kris said evasively, "but apparently people from Hoenn know about that strange writing more than us. If a gym leader doesn't know anything, my next step will be the local researchers, and if that fails, I'll go up to the Champion himself. I've met Wallace once before – I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember me, but still, he's an okay guy."

"Hmm," Wes said unnecessarily loudly as he briskly followed Kris past the narrow, unpaved streets and alleys of Dewford towards the gym. "You're saying you're afraid _she_ might attempt to gun for your coveted 'successor' position?"

"If Team Aqua is really here, then the less she knows, the better," Kris said. "I know it's a new concept to you, but it's called caring about others!"

Wes didn't smile anymore. "Maybe you ought to reconsider those words," he said quietly.

"As soon as you reconsider your personality," Kris shot back.

The Dewford Town Gym was in a southern corner of town, with nothing but forest behind it, though it still took less than twenty minutes to get there from the docks. It was a regular small town gym, nothing out of the ordinary – until Kris and Wes stepped inside.

The interior of the gym was almost completely dark, only a few torches and candles around the walls giving the gym a pale, eery light. This surprised Kris at first, but Kris remembered May's mention of the idiosyncrasies Hoenn's gym leaders had. And apart from her elitism regarding theoretical knowledge, Roxanne had been fairly normal, so surely Brawly, Dewford Town's gym leader wasn't going to be some weirdo.

The gym guide was willing to guide Kris to the leader, but insisted that Wes stayed at the entrance. No reason for this was given, but Kris was quite frankly relieved that she wouldn't have to listen to Wes' input during her battle, so she cheerfully accepted. But when the gym guide had finished escorting Kris, she couldn't see anything – not just because of the darkness, as there were torches around where the gym leader was supposed to be. The gym guide, however, just left Kris alone, not answering any of her questions.

 _Frickin' Hoenn weirdoes_.

Suddenly, Kris was almost deafened by a sudden guitar riff blaring from unseen loudspeakers, followed by out-of-tune rock music and someone talking to her via microphone:

" _A puny pipsqueak of a Pokémon practitioner has been sent to me, huh? Well prepare to get your keester keelhauled, missy, because you're up against the unstoppable juggernaut of a Gym leader, Buuuuuuuuuh-rawlyyyyyyy~!_ "

"What the hell...?" Kris muttered.

" _Your Pokémon don't even have the puniest of prayers, pal – the man you're about to mess with has been trained by the mightiest of musclemen known to mankind – Buh-buh-Bruno from the Elite Four himself! That's right, toots – today, a trainer will be totaled under the stupendous strength of my mighty muscles. Brawly, and all his Pokémon pals will pulverize the pansy posies you call your Pokémon. Buhhhh-ring it, buddy!_ "

Finishing his introduction, Brawly stepped into the light. Based on his voice and bragging, Kris had been expecting a seven-foot tall hairless, oiled muscleman. Instead, Brawly had blue, spiky hair and casual clothes, and while he was muscular, it was more in a swimmer or surfer dude way than a bodybuilder way. Nonetheless, he continued boasting on, microphone in hand even though he was only a few feet away from Kris.

" _Do you feel the fear flanking you yet, little filly?_ " Brawly continued. " _Because **Brawly** is about to begin to break your Pokémon right down to minute, molecular masses of mush, missy! Do you think you have what it takes to step up and **throw down** with the unfathomable, unconquerable and unstoppable **Brrrrrrrrrrawly**_?!"

"Um... yes?" Kris said.

Brawly threw the microphone over his shoulder casually, an assistant swooping into catch it, though the guitar-heavy rock music played on.

"Your confidence has been noted, little missy!" Brawly bragged and grabbed a Poké Ball from his pocket, starting to spin it on the tip of his finger expertly. "But me and my Fighting-type Pokémon have been training our bodies, minds and souls to the _extremes_!"

Kris wondered if this all was really just for her. She couldn't see anyone watching, but then again there _was_ almost complete darkness around them, and it wasn't unheard of to televise gym battles, though only when they knew the battle would be a tough one – and surely they wouldn't film Kris without her permission? Either way, Kris wasn't going to let this punk outstage her.

"I have reason to be confident," Kris said, trying to sound impressive, though nothing really felt enough after that boastful introduction, Kris wondering if Brawly even heard her over the music. "I have six badges already!"

"Allow me to laugh – _hah_!" Brawly said. "If you'd know even a speck about the training I endured under _**Buh-buh-buh-Bruno**_ , then you'd know better than to brag about your little victories. I spent a month on Mt. Silver, wrestling Ursaring and Abomasnow with nothing but the muscles I'm packing now! Under _**Buh-rawly's** _roof, everything else is meaningless. The only thing that matters here is strength, and I'm going to show you what it _really_ is, sister! Two Poké Balls and thirty minutes - n _ow let's get ready to **rrrrrrrrrrrumbleeeeee**_!"

Someone apparently turned down the volume a bit as the music died down a little, Brawly sending out his Medicham. Kris remembered seeing Arcade Star Dahlia fight this Pokémon back at the Silver Conference, and wasn't going to bother scanning it. However, since over half of the battlefield they were on was shrouded in complete darkness, Kris was going to need a Pokémon unhindered by it.

"Chandelure, go!" Kris yelled.

Kris sent out her prized ghost/fire-type, the Chandelure having a large, round head with no face apart from yellow, pupil-less eyes, purple flames burning on its head and on the ends of spikes extending from its black, curled 'arms'. As soon as Chandelure was out of its Poké Ball, it was much easier to see around.

"If you thought a wispy little ghost-type would threaten me, missy, you're _dead_ wrong!" Brawly bragged, Kris getting annoyed with him already. "And I know the art of Ju, meaning the more power you're gonna throw my way, the easier it will be to take you _**downnnnnn**_ ~!"

"Don't you ever shut up?" Kris wondered. "Chandelure, Shadow Ball!"

"Mmmmmedicham, Detect!"

Its eyes glowing pale green for a split-second, Medicham dodged the sizzling ball of black energy Chandelure had launched with blinding speed. It then retaliated with a Zen Headbutt, the top of its head glowing light blue as it struck Chandelure, dealing serious damage to it.

"How can you be so fast... Chandelure, get closer to it and use Shadow Ball again!"

But Chandelure was too slow, and closing the distance only made it easier for Medicham to strike with another Zen Headbutt. This time, Chandelure was brought closer to the ground, its flames flickering a bit – Kris knew it couldn't last long, but didn't have any Pokémon trained to fight in the darkness, either, so...

"Chandelure, Flame Burst!" she ordered.

Purple fire was launched from all of Chandelure's flames, forming a ball of fire in the air which then burst, causing small burts of fire to hit everywhere, Medicham included, though the damage wasn't much. However, the flames stayed on the field, illuminating it well enough.

"Time to finish you off!" Brawly yelled, ignorant of what Kris had just did. " _ **Rrrrrrrrrrrock sliiiiiiide**_!"

Medicham raised both of its hands in the air, forming orbs of energy that quickly turned into rocks that it launched at Chandelure with incredible velocity. Still feeling the aftereffects of Medicham's Zen Headbutt and too exhausted to dodge, Chandelure was hit with the attack and rendered unable to battle, prompting a recall from Kris. The flames, however, remained, and Kris wasn't held back by the darkness anymore.

"You only have one Pokémon to parry with, partner," Brawly announced. "Choose it wisely – or feel the devastating damage of defeat!"

"Yeah, I will – Croc, go!"

Kris sent out her Feraligatr next, Croc being refreshed and well stretched-out after its swim en route to Dewford. Brawly just chuckled at Kris' choice.

"You have sealed your fate, my friend!" he announced. " _ **Mmmmedicham,**_ High Jump Kick, _**nnnoooow**_!"

Though Brawly let his words drag on, he called the attack name very fast, allowing Medicham to jump into the air, ready to strike Croc with its knee. But Kris was ready, yelling at Croc to use Protect, stopping Medicham's advance on an invisible wall and sending flying backwards, hurt by crash damage.

"So you learned after all – Medicham, Thunder Punch!"

Medicham jumped back on its feet, its fist glowing yellow and sparkling with electricity. But it was too slow with its attack and its attempt to punch Croc failed. The Feraligatr sidestepped around the Medicham and retorted with Slash per Kris' instructions, bringing the Medicham down.

However, Brawly only looked pleased as he withdrew the Medicham.

"Nnnnnnice!" Brawly said. "But what your Feraligtr has in power, it lacks in discipline, the true mark of a worthwhile warrior! It's time for you to witness the power of my _**Harrrrrrrrrr-iyamaaaa**_ ~!"

"The what now?"

What emerged from Brawly's Poké Ball was a hulking giant of a Pokémon that was over seven and a half feet tall. It looked like a sumo wrestler and was vaguely humanoid in appearance, only with its body made of seemingly nothing but muscle and its two huge, orange hands being almost as big as Kris herself. This time, with no one around to complain, Kris decided to scan the Pokémon with her PokéDex.

" _Hariyama, the Arm Thrust Pokémon_ ," SkrillDex informed " _and the evolved form of Makuhita. It can make its torso as hard as stone, while its powerful hands can knock a truck flying and stop a train on its tracks_."

"You're messing with me," Kris said flatly.

" _Unit would like to point out that it has not written these entries, and would take this opportunity to remind username Kris of the tendency of humans, cognitively inferior in every way, to exaggerate._ "

"At least you're not calling us 'meatbags' anymore," Kris muttered. "Any other info?"

" _Hariyama appears to be a Fighting-type_."

"Anything that I don't already know?"

" _This unit cannot read minds._ "

"Come on, SkrillDex, be a pal!"

"... _its body is impervious to many types of attacks, but as a result, it's slow and unwieldy. If it attempts to stomp on the ground, it will attempt to power up, so it should be advised to stop it as soon as possible_."

"Wow, that actually helped!" Kris said. "You really do care about me, after all."

" _Username Kris is advised to avoid such blatantly unfounded assumptions_."

"I'm not hearing a no~" Kris sang, putting the PokéDex back in her bag to avoid it from retorting. "All right, Croc, you're faster than that meathead, so use Waterfall!"

"Fake Out!"

Hariyama just clapped its massive hands, causing a shock wave that hit Croc before it could attack, dazing the Pokémon.

"Hey, snap out of it!" Kris yelled. "Croc, do something!"

"And now... Bulk Up!"

Hariyama started stomping on the ground and flexing its muscles, its arms getting thicker and its body expanding slightly, a magenta aura surrounding it all the while.

"You gotta stop it from powering up!" Kris yelled. "You can't let yourself be humiliated by something like that – you beat the frickin' Masked Man!"

This finally snapped Croc out of its funk, making it shake its head and growl at Hariyama.

"Atta boy!" Kris cheered. "Now, we have to stop it from stomping – use Ice Punch on its legs!"

Croc charged at the Hariyama, its fist glowing blue. But as it punched Hariyama's stubby legs, the attack was deflected and Hariyama didn't even seem to feel it, casually slapping Croc away with Arm Thrust as it stopped glowing.

"A good strategy in theory – BUT THEORY IS FOR NERRRRRRDS!" Brawly roared. "My Hariyama's Thick Fat stops such sneaky onslaughts!"

"Why didn't you tell me it had that ability?!" Kris yelled at her bag.

" _You never asked_ ," came the muffled answer.

"Whatever," Kris grumbled. "Croc, Hydro Pump!"

"Hariyama, Body Slam!"

Even as Croc fired water at the Hariyama with intense pressure, Hariyama's body soaked the attack easily and charged at Croc, flattening the water-type under its massive weight as it slammed Croc to the ground. As Hariyama got up, Croc stayed down, its limbs moving oddly slowly and twitchily.

"Looks like I done _**paralyzed**_ your Pokémon, princess!" Brawly bragged. "Let me fix that for you – Hariyama, _**Smmmmmmelling Salts**_!"

With Croc helpless, Hariyama could get the drop on it and smack it with its humongous hand as hard as it could. The attack got Croc back on its feet, curing its paralysis... but only for a few seconds before Croc collapsed again, now unable to battle.

Kris was forced to return Croc and face the truth: Brawly had won. After the battle, Brawly congratulated Kris for a good battle in a normal voice, informing that his boasting was just a show he liked to put on to put challengers to the spot – he had taken Kris' confusion as being unfazed by his tactic. As Brawly himself escorted Kris back to the entrance, she had time to ruminate over what happened.

 _And more importantly:_ how _the hell did that happen?_

Kris had gotten to the third round of the Silver Conference, getting past a powerful trainer who had eight gym badges and a _frickin' gym leader_. Therefore, wasn't it pure logic to assume that Kris was better than a gym leader? And yet, she had failed, barely denting the Hariyama, no less.

Kris had to rationalize this somehow. Perhaps Brawly was just a better-than average gym leader, like Morty and Clair back in Johto. Except Kris had defeated Morty and tied against Clair... so how could she suffer such a crushing defeat against some small town surfer dude? Worse yet, Brawly didn't know anything about the strange writing Kris had showed him, so the trip had been completely pointless.

At the entrance, Wes was quick to notice the outcome from the look on Kris' face.

"Don't feel bad, Krissy," Wes remarked as the two stepped out of the gym and into the sunny outdoors. "You've just been slacking a bit during your little fun-time cruise aboard the S.S. Anne, that's all."

" _Slacking_?!" Kris snapped.

"I'd say 'slacking' is about right," said a female voice Kris didn't recognize.

Kris and Wes turned to look. A tall young woman who, while slender, had broad enough shoulders to look like she could easily beat Kris in arm wrestling leaned against the wall near the door of the gym. Her face obscured by a white and pink cap, she had long and curly brown hair tied at the back.

Kris and Wes stared at her.

"Um," Kris said, "can I help you, or-"

"Yes, you can," the girl said. "Why don't you ditch the Orrean candy boy so we can chat for a while?"

Wes scoffed. "What? Who is this?" he said with forced laughter. "Trust me, you don't want to start anything with me!"

The girl snorted in contempt. "'Start anything'? Are you serious? Apart from the fact that, you know, I'd kick your ass without even having to think about it, 'start anything', what are you, like twelve?"

"Ohoho, looks like we have a troublemaker," Wes chuckled and took his gloves off, glancing at Kris. "Don't worry, you just sit on back and let old Wes handle things!"

"Yeah, I don't care one way or another," Kris said, feeling only confusion – and slight gratitude at the mystery woman for talking smack to Wes.

Wes rolled his sleeves back and took a step closer to the girl, who kept leaning against the wall calmly. Wes spat on his hands and rubbed them together, preparing for a fist fight.

"Please, you'll just embarrass yourself," the girl said. "But since you insist, then give me your best shot... Wes."

Wes paused, lower his arms, eyes wide and mouth slightly open as he stared at the mystery woman. Kris frowned at him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing!" Wes snapped. "She just... I just remembered something. All right, whoever you are, you're obviously trying to mug us or something, and that ain't happening – _bring it on_!"

Wes took about three steps towards the girl, who easily sidestepped around him and grabbed his arm with one hand and jammed the index and middle finger of her other hand into Wes' nostrils, causing him to yell out in pain. With a move so quick that Kris couldn't clearly see what the girl did, Wes was thrown on the ground and grabbed him in a half nelson, pushing Wes' face down in the sand with her free hand.

"Wait!" came the muffled yell from Wes. "I know who you – ow – are now!"

"I'm sure," the girl remarked and lifted her head to look at Kris – she had blue eyes and a cheerful disposition, as she hadn't even broken a sweat taking Wes down. "Anyway, like I was going to say, it's nice to meet you Kris. Yeah, I know your name," she said quickly when Kris was about to ask. "I watched the Silver Conference. I'd say you're actually a little better than average – a little. Oh, I'm Hilda, by the way – from east Unova, born and raised."

"What do you want?" Kris asked warily. "Because I have really mixed feelings at the moment."

"I bet," Hilda laughed, ignoring Wes' pathetic attempts to squirm free from her hold. "This guy can't help but to bug the crap out of people."

"You know each other?"

"Kris, there's something wrong!" Wes yelled, sounding like his mouth was filled with sand. "She was at-"

"We worked together – _once_ ," Hilda said grudgingly and tightened her grip. "But good old Wesley is not why I'm here – nor is the fine beach weather, though that's a plus. I came here to see you, Kris."

Kris felt fairly humbled. Not only had Wes tracked her down even after such a long time, much as Kris wished he hadn't, but now other people were looking for her, too. Still, Kris kept her distance – she had no desire to end up face down on the ground. Hilda spotted Kris' hesitation and smiled.

"Yeah, you don't exactly trust me, right?" she asked. "That's good – means you're not a total dumbass, at least. Well, I guess you could say I'm here as a talent scout. You got into the tournament because you completed the quests the dragon clan had laid out to you, right?"

"Yup, got through all of them," Kris said proudly.

"...nah, you really didn't," Hilda remarked. "You got through _one_ of them. There are eight in total, all meant to test a 'virtue' or whatever. What the hell were they... honesty, compassion, valor, justice, sacrifice, honor, spirituality and..." Hilda snapped her fingers to remember. Wes managed to raise his head and spit some sand off his mouth, but Hilda soon pressed him down again, to Kris' amusement. "Oh yeah, humility. Y'know, so basically the opposites of fun."

"One?" Kris said in disbelief. "But... that can't be right."

"Ahh, don't feel bad," Hilda said. "Few even get that far, even that famous kid from Kanto could say he got past like four or five, at max. But hey, you should totally keep at it, though – at least one more."

"Is it showing compassion if I tell you to let him go?" Kris said. "I mean, it was funny at first, but it's getting more pathetic by the minute."

"Trust me, unleashing this guy into the world is the total opposite," Hilda laughed.

However, she did let Wes go for a second. Wes lifted his head again and tried to turn to yell expletives at Hilda, but Hilda sat on his back and twisted his arm behind his back instead. Wes gritted his teeth, but kept quiet.

"Now, I wouldn't worry about that mushy stuff if I were you – you don't seem all that virtuous, if you don't mind me saying," Hilda continued. When Kris frowned at her, she laughed. "Ahh, don't give me that, who here is? I'm not, and this guy," Hilda ruffled Wes' hair condescendingly, "totally isn't. I mean, it's all pretty abstract, and you can throw that last one out of the window – I'm not expecting you to do this for the warm fuzzies."

Kris cocked an eyebrow at her. "But?"

"If you get past one more trial," Hilda said alluringly, "then Champion Alder will take you in as an apprentice."

Kris was stunned, managing to complete ignore Wes' plight and grunting under Hilda. Granted, Alder was not as high on her list of idols as Lance and Cynthia were, but still... that gym leader back there had bragged about being trained by an Elite Four member. To be actually trained by the Unova League Champion – she'd able to crush _anyone_ who dared step in her way.

"Fuh... for real?" Kris stuttered uncertainly. "You really mean that? This is... wow, I mean, he must have seen me at the tournament and-"

Hilda laughed loudly and condescendingly at that, making Kris even more uncertain.

"I'm sorry," Hilda said, still chuckling to herself, "but that was... that was good, kid, really, I thought you were going to just stand there and be boring all day."

"I was – I mean, yeah, I'm a riot," Kris said and forced a laugh out of herself.

Hilda lowered her head and looked at Kris under her raised eyebrows.

"Seriously, now," she said. "He doesn't even remember you anymore, I bet. Do you have any idea how many tournaments he oversees and visits a year? I mean, right now he's in Ever Grande City preparing for the Hoenn League. I was brought along to act as his bodyguard on the trip here, and until he decides to return, I didn't have much to do, so I figured I'd get this out of the way."

"So that's what you've been doing," Wes grunted, finally daring to open his mouth again, apparently. "Wait – what does a guy like that need a bodyguard for?"

"Oh, hey, you can still talk!" Hilda exclaimed in fake surprise and ruffled Wes' hair again. "He never used to shut up," she told Kris. "You're a pretty sharp boy, aren't you, Wesley? That's going to bite you in the ass some day."

Hilda grinned and finally let go of Wes, stepping away from him and allowing him to get up, his dignity in shreds, though, his coat covered in dust and sand, along with his face, which he started wiping frantically. When he was done, he turned to glare at Hilda.

"Seriously, what are you doing here?" he asked. "The last time we met, you were-" Wes glanced at Kris, "-not in the best possible shape."

"Hey, it's been a year, hasn't it?" Hilda said casually.

"One year, one month and five days," Wes said bitterly.

"Adorable," Hilda said and flicked Wes on the forehead playfully. She turned to look at Kris. "Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about myself. And besides, I need to confirm you're even worth the effort. I mean, look at you!"

Kris looked at herself, looking a bit offended.

"Wha... what am I supposed to look at?" she asked sadly.

"C'mon, don't take things so seriously all the time!" Hilda said and gave Kris a playful nudge. "I was just asking how you've prepared yourself for the Hoenn League – I'm assuming that's why you're here, right?"

"That's one reason..." Kris muttered. "Well, I didn't have _too_ much time to prepare, I spent three months sailing the seas, having to work my way to Hoenn."

Hilda nodded. "That's good – so many Pokémon trainers forget the heart of things. The code of the Pokémon trainers, if you want."

"What the huh?" Kris wondered. "Code?"

"An unwritten rule – mostly because those who don't discover it are not suited for trainer material," Hilda explained. "Even I had to discover that during my own little 'journey' three years ago. Why do you think we're out here? Do you think society works if just wander around, battling people for cash?"

"Um... no?" Kris suggested unsurely.

"Pokémon training is a valued skill, Kris," Hilda said. "Sure, most people own Pokémon, either a little Furfrou they can stick ribbons on and show off to their friends or a Ponyta that helps the plow fields – that's how things work. But only professional Pokémon trainers can handle multiple, powerful Pokémon and get them to their peak. Competitive fighting is in their blood, that's why there are trainers, leagues and tournaments. But while you get plenty of freedoms, there's a trade-off."

"Like what?" Wes scoffed.

Hilda paid no attention to him, as she focused on Kris. "Pokémon trainers exist to help people. If you become a gym leader, you have to protect your town. If you're a Champion, you have to defend your region. If you join organizations like the E4 Task Force or Holon Security, you'll have to be ready to use your Pokémon to kill, if necessary. And even a regular, wandering trainer has to stop and help if they can – that's just the way it is."

Kris had nodded throughout Hilda's sermon, while Wes had looked incredulous on the background, rolling his eyes at what Hilda was saying but once again going ignored.

"I have to see if you're up for that," Hilda said pointedly. "Show me why I should be interested in _you_ , who came in eighth place at the Silver Conference, as opposed to that girl you lost to who came in fourth... what was her name... brown hair, dorky hat – oh, right, Lyra! Why shouldn't I just march up to her and offer _her_ the position?"

"She's in Hoenn?!" Kris exclaimed.

Hilda crossed her arms and gazed at Kris with a knowing smile. Kris cursed not being able to keep her head cool.

"You'll choose me," Kris said tensely, "because she's _nothing_ compared to me. _I_ was the one who fought Team Rocket the most and _I_ beat the Masked Man, not _her_."

Hilda nodded. "I would have gotten the point with less emphasis – but I like that attitude. By the way, can you guys give me a lift? If you're headed to Slateport, that'd be great."

"How did you even get here in the first place?" Wes wondered.

"Swam," Hilda said calmly.

Kris and Wes stared at her incredulously. Hilda smirked.

"Ahh, almost had you there!" she teased. "No, my Samurott brought me here."

"Samurott..." Wes muttered. "Um, Hilda, are you-"

"But I don't wanna stress it out, plus it's not safe to go around the water routes now," Hilda said casually. "There's been some reports about people in freaky blue pirate uniforms... I think I saw a couple of them heading towards the Granite Cave. Weird, huh?"

Kris' face hardened. "Crap... Hilda?"

"Yeah?"

"You say you're a Pokémon trainer, too?" Kris asked. "Then - can you help us out?"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Granite Cave, Hoenn** _

Iris and May had wandered around the cave for an hour, the narrow beam of the flashlight being the only source of light in the pitch-black darkness. A hiker near the entrance had warned them about the darkness, but had also confirmed that Steven had arrived there earlier in search of rare stones, having stayed at Dewford for a good week now. Still, neither of them could really be afraid, especially as they chattered enthusiastically about Pokémon, May wanting Iris to tell her everything she knew about Pokémon battles.

Literally _everything_. Iris' mouth was incredibly dry at this point.

However, as they walked through a narrow tunnel, they noticed a Pokémon blocking their way. The Pokémon was a small, cutesy, yellow one with red eyes and lots of black hair.

"Huh – haven't seen one of those before," May commented as she spotted the Pokémon. "Torchic and Shroomish need some experience, but that ain't even worth my time."

She started to approach the Pokémon while Iris stayed still, wondering where she had seen that Pokémon before.

"You, we're in a hurry, here," May told the Pokémon. "Shoo!"

"Wait!" Iris yelled.

She lunged forward and grabbed May by her shirt, pulling her to safety just as the Pokémon turned around and extended its 'hair', which turned out to be a pair of enormous jaws filled with big, sharp teeth that it tried to chomp May with. May only seemed mildly surprised to see that.

"That's Mawile, the Deceiver Pokémon, a Steel/Fairy-type," Iris explained. "They lurk in dark caves, fooling opponents with their cutesy appearance before they reveal their jaws and chow down!"

"I ain't much for fairies," May said as she pulled a Poké Ball from her bag, "but a Steel-type sounds just perfect for my team. Stay back, Iris, I'll handle this."

"Be my guest," Iris said with a shudder. "I _hate_ Fairy-types. I only heard about them a few months ago when I saw Kris battling one at the Silver Conference. Then I battled a girl who owned a Granbull at the S.S Anne. It looked like my Fraxure could easily beat it, but then..." Iris gulped. "Just do something!"

"You're weird," May commented, sending out her Shroomish. "So... any thoughts?"

"On what?" Iris asked, hiding behind May for safety.

"Best ways for capture – should I pummel it and soften it for a Poké Ball, or...?"

"You could paralyze it, but a Pokémon that slow won't mind much," Iris pondered. "You should try to immobilize it and wear it down a little!"

"I know just the trick," May said. "Leech Seed!"

As the Mawile tried to grab Shroomish with its jaws, Shroomish fired a bunch of seeds at it. They then sprouted into vines upon contact, the vines trapping the Mawile and making it glow red, draining its energy to Shroomish. When it was immobilized, May tossed a Poké Ball at the Mawile. It was converted into energy as the ball struck it, and after some shaking, the capture was successful.

"Ain't even a thing!" May bragged as she picked her new teammate's Poké Ball up. "Nicely done, Shroomish!" she added and returned it.

Iris sighed with relief. "Good job," she told May. "Now we just have to find Steven and-"

The rest of Iris' sentence was drowned out by the sounds of heavy machinery. It sounded like a powerful drill was being operated right beneath her feet – and indeed, seconds later, the cave's floor crumbled beneath Iris and May, sending them plummeting down.

The two found themselves in the floor beneath, but instead of darkness, they bathed in light thanks to the multitude of lamps hanging from iron cables attached to the stone walls. Moreover, they were also surrounded by a bunch of Team Aqua grunts, instantly recognizable from their blue bandannas and striped shirts, the symbols on their bandannas identical to the one Shelly had worn. There was also a barrel-chested man in a uniform that slightly different from the others' who had long, wavy black hair and an enormous square jaw.

"Tch, that's a real hazard," he said calmly, observing the new hole in the ceiling. "Couldn't you be a bit more careful?" he scolded a grunt.

"Sorry, Mr. Tabitha," the grunt said.

"Ow," Iris said simply, rubbing her head as she got up on her feet. "Your name's Tabitha?" she asked the black-haired man.

"What of it?" he asked defensively. "Also, hi, you're kind of interrupting our work-"

"You're Team Aqua," Iris said warily, hand ready on Fraxure's Poké Ball as she glared at Tabitha. "Now I know why that Mawile attacked – what are you doing over here?"

"Yeah, we are, okay, you got us," Tabitha continued nonchalantly. "We're just minding our business here, though – the bosses told us to look for something called the Enigma Stone, so that's all there-"

" _Team Aqua_!" May yelled as she got up too, pointing at Tabitha's uniform.

"Yes, I think we've established that," Tabitha said.

"What about all the Pokémon in this cave?" Iris asked. "Isn't the drilling and lights going to disturb them?"

"That's why we're going to relocate them," Tabitha said condescendingly.

Iris turned to look at where Tabitha was looking, noticing cages full of small Pokémon stacked in the darker corners of the cave. There were plenty of Aron, Makuhita and Geodude locked up in the cages, plus one cage was strictly for Zubat, about dozen of them stuffed into the same, cramped space. Perhaps they had resisted before, but now, all of the Pokémon had resorted to just apathetically leaning against each other.

"See?" Tabitha said warmly. "No harm, no foul, so if you could just skidaddle your merry way-"

"Like hell we will!" May yelled, grabbing a Poké Ball of her own, which made the Aqua Grunts nearby tense up, though Tabitha signaled them to be still. "You hurt these Pokémon, you caused me to fall on my ass and get dirt on my favorite outfit – and _you're stopping me from delivering my letter_!"

"Uh, May," Iris said meekly, "perhaps we should-"

May quickly sent out her new Mawile to the battle. As soon as it was out of its Poké Ball, it glared at the surrounding Team Aqua members, opening its massive jaws ready. Sighing theatrically, Tabitha snapped his fingers, prompting two Aqua grunts to confront May and two others to do the same for Iris, sending out two Corphish and two Sealeo, while Iris did the same for her Fraxure, backing against May as she did so.

"You had to use _that_ thing," Iris grumbled at her.

"I wanna see how well it fights," May said calmly. "These guys are not even a blip on my screen!"

"Next time this happens, I'll do the talking," Iris sighed. "Fraxure, Dual Chop!"

"Mawile... um..."

"Use Iron Defense!" Iris suggested.

"Right – Iron Defense!"

Fraxure's swift Dual Chop managed to hit both the Corphish and Sealeo it was up against and move out of the way as they tried to attack it while Mawile sat still and hardened itself, the attacks launched at it just bouncing off.

"Now use Play Rough!" Iris advised. "Fraxure, Slash!"

May relayed the order, the Mawile's jaws turning to a devilish smirk as it lunged at the hapless Corphish and Sealeo, engaging them into a cartoony brawl which quickly dispatched both of them. Meanwhile, Fraxure blocked the incoming Sealeo's Body Slam with Slash, knocking the Sealeo out. The remaining Corphish fell easily when Fraxure fired a Dragon Pulse attack at it.

Tabitha's ever-present pleasant smile faded a bit as he saw his Aqua Grunts fall as Mawile and Fraxure attacked them next, easily knocking them to the ground and keeping them pinned down by sheer intimidation. Sighing, he sent out his own Mightyena, a somewhat canine-looking Pokémon with black, shaggy fur.

"Mighty, these brats are interrupting our woooo-ooork~" Tabitha whined. "Please finish them off, thanks!"

Tabitha's Mightyena barked and charged at Mawile, attempting to bite it... only to end up breaking one of its teeth and howling miserably, backing away from the Mawile in fear.

"All right, I think that's enough!" Iris said firmly. "I don't want either your Pokémon or the ones in the cages to get hurt, so just leave this place and we promise that we-"

"Will kick your asses to Sinnoh and back, yeah!" May cheered. "Bring it on!"

"That wasn't what I was going to say!" Iris protested.

" _Oi_!" a harsh voice suddenly yelled. "What's all this, then?"

Iris and May turned to look behind them, May cursing to herself as she noticed Aqua Admin Shelly having arrived to the cave, eight Aqua Grunts standing behind her, along with about two dozen Pokémon, mainly Corphish, Carvanha and Golbat.

"Oh, Ms. Shelly, thank goodness!" Tabitha wailed and ran to the newly arrived admin. "We weren't taking a break, these kids jumped in the way of our work, honest!"

"You sodding twats again?!" Shelly snarled. "You must be utterly barmy to think of crossing us again after our last scuffle!"

"You mean when I managed to humiliate your two Pokémon with my freshly caught Shroomish?" May taunted.

Shelly was unamused.

"All right, you expendable minions!" she ordered. "Eff them up!"

Iris and May prepared themselves, Fraxure and Mawile stepping up and preparing to fight, but they were outnumbered twelve to one. Iris was acutely aware of the situation, but at the moment, their options were to either beat them or be beaten. The only escape was upwards, but neither she nor May had flying Pokémon. Behind them was just solid wall.

However, the supposedly sturdy behind them soon exploded, and a male voice called out to them:

" _YOU TWO, GET DOWN_!"

Iris was quick to react, pulling May with her as she tackled Mawile and Fraxure, managing to catch them by surprise too and get them on the ground just as a barrage of rocks flew past their heads and at the advancing Aquas, who panicked and scattered. From the new hole in the wall, Aggron, an enormous black bipedal Pokémon with steel-gray armor covering parts of its body stomped out, slowly but menacingly advancing on the Aqua Grunts and their Pokémon still up.

With the Aquas distracted by the Aggron, a young bishounen of a man with light steel blue hair and eyes calmly made his way in through the new hole in the wall, gesturing at Iris and May to follow him.

"Holy crap, it's him!" May exclaimed. "Hey, Mr. Steven! I have a-"

Steven shushed her. "No time," he said curtly. "Come on!"

Leaving his Aggron to fight, Steven led Iris, May, Fraxure and Mawile into a narrow tunnel, but the footsteps of a few Aqua Grunts in pursuit could still be heard. Thinking quickly, Iris sent out her Excadrill.

"I know how we can lose 'em!" she said. "Excadrill, dig a tunnel for us!"

Nodding, Excadrill prepared the massive blades on its hands. The blades then started spinning like two enormous drills, which it used to bore into the tunnel's wall. Steven cringed at the sight, but didn't protest as Excadrill successfully started carving a slanted uphill tunnel. Iris and May recalled their Pokémon and followed, having to crawl their way through the tunnel, Steven coming in last.

"Can't they just follow us here?" May grunted as she crawled after Iris, almost hitting her head as she stopped to talk.

"Probably, but I'm sure they also blocked any exits we could have used," Iris answered, following Excadrill, who kept carving its way through the solid rock like it was cardboard. "Will your Aggron be okay?" she asked Steven.

"I've trained it for a good eight years, now," Steven answered proudly. "I instructed it to release all the Pokémon the Aquas had captured. Even if they somehow beat Aggron, I doubt those Pokémon will take their abuse sitting down."

"Good," May said. "Now, what was I about to say, I was asked to deliver-"

May was interrupted by daylight pouring into their hastily made tunnel, Excadrill having drilled its way up to the surface. Iris, May and Steven followed suit, climbing out of the tunnel and catching in the sights around them. They had arrived on top of the seaside cliff where the Granite Cave had formed into, both the ocean and Dewford Town in full view.

Taking in a deep breath, Steven finally made his formal introduction.

"Sorry for butting in," he said simply as he shook hands with both Iris and May, "but I just couldn't sit back and watch. I came here to find some rare stones, specifically something called the 'Enigma Stone'."

"That's what Team Aqua was looking for!" Iris said.

Steven nodded. "I heard," he said bitterly. "To do that to the Pokémon that dwell here just to find that thing – even my father would think twice about that. I had no idea Team Aqua had become such an infestation."

Suddenly, Steven smiled and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot," he said. "My name is Steven Stone. I'm just an amateur geologist today."

"Yeah, we know!" May said hastily, looking like she was about to burst. "You used to be the frickin' Pokémon League Champion! It's such an honor to meet you."

Steven just sighed and turned away, though he put on a polite smile.

"Well, that's an honor, I suppose," he said, "but, truth to be told, I let my friend Wallace take over the job for this reason exactly. I don't want people making a huge fuss about me."

"Can I say my business now?" May asked. "I have this-"

"Sorry, May, but I have to ask – what _is_ the Enigma Stone, anyway?" Iris asked Steven. "I've never heard of it."

"That's kind of why it is," Steven chuckled, "an 'enigma'. Nobody knows. It's a legend among people in Hoenn who share my interests – both of them," he cracked. "If it even exists, I doubt it's anything but a rare jewel that people in the past associated with some mystical power, but I do admit that I'm still curious."

May glared at Iris. "Now?" she asked, and Iris nodded. "Okay. Mr. Steven, I have this-"

" _Found you!_ "

"Damn it!"

Shelly, Tabitha and a squad of five Team Aqua Grunts, one of them using his blue bandanna to cover his face, had arrived to the cliff and were now looking down at Iris, May and Steven. They were accompanied by over a dozen Pokémon, Tabitha's Mightyena included – it looked practically furious over chipping its tooth and was viciously growling at May.

"Oi, lookie here, mates!" Shelly taunted. "The Hoenn champ himself came to witness Team Aqua's rise to power!"

"Whatever!" May taunted right back. "We have Steven Stone with us now, so you might as well throw yourselves back into whatever holes you crawled out of, 'coz he's gonna teach you a thing or two about-"

"Actually," Steven interrupted as he glared up at the Aqua members, looking rather pale and sweaty now that Iris and May got a better look of him, "I'm still waiting for Aggron to come back. I only took two Pokémon here, and my Skarmory is resting from its flight at the Pokémon Center."

Iris and May stared at him. "A-are you serious?!" May yelled.

"On top of that, I'm not exactly at a hundred percent, anyway," Steven muttered. "So I'll have to let you guys to fight instead..."

"Well, we have to try!" Iris said firmly. "Excadrill, use-"

" _Don't bother,_ _little one,_ _you might as well sit on your hands now that_ I'm _here_."

Iris, May and Steven gazed around them, wondering where the voice of the woman who had yelled at them came from. The Aqua members did the same, Shelly holding off the attack as she tried to get a better look.

" _You know, I'm surprised_ ," the mystery woman said. " _I though that a former Hoenn Champion would be made of tougher stuff._ _I hope early retirement hasn't softened you up too much, Mr. Stone – you used to be quite the hero back in the day_."

"Oh, bollocks to it all, I ain't going to let those little tossers interfere anymore!" Shelly snapped. "Soldiers, beat the crap out 'em!"

" _Frenzy Plant_!"

Gigantic, thick roots with spikes on them suddenly emerged from the rocky ground from under the Aquas feet, smacking both the trainers and their Pokémon around as a long, green and regal-looking serpentine Pokémon with red eyes grabbed an Aqua Grunt into a stranglehold and squeezed him. Iris recognized the Pokémon as Serperior – a Unovan species.

" _Now I'm feeling it's the time for... Blast Burn_!"

The grunts and Pokémon who had dodged the roots were thrown around by an ensuing fiery explosion caused by a roaring Emboar, who punched Tabitha's Mightyena off the cliff with its massive fist.

" _And finally... Hydro Cannon_!"

A massive ball of water was fired at the Aquas still on their feet by a Samurott who had climbed on the cliff, Tabitha getting caught up and thrown away by the sheer force of the water pressure.

In the end, only Shelly and the disguised Aqua Grunt remained, the latter having expertly dodged every single attack and didn't even have a graze on him.

The trainer of the three Unova starters soon climbed up the cliff as well – a tall, brown-haired girl who seemed to be utterly fearless when confronting the Aqua members.

"And what's with the pirate gear, anyway?" she remarked nonchalantly as she passed Shelly and the disguised grunt by like it was nothing. She then turned to look at Iris, May and Steven. "Oh, hi guys, name's Hilda, your friends are on the way, but they need some serious fitness training. You wouldn't even believe."

Indeed, Kris and Wes soon followed, along with Kris' Honchkrow, badly out of breath and barely managing to climb up.

"We're getting clobbered!" Shelly complained. "Lunick!" she yelled at the disguised grunt. "You know what to do."

"Yes, ma'am," came the muffled answer through Lunick's bandanna.

Reacting quicker than even Hilda could have prepared for, Lunick sent out a Pokémon of his own, though it was not a water-type or any of the other Pokémon Team Aqua had used. It was a green, reptilian Pokémon with a long neck and a tail that looked like it was made of a palm-tree branch, filled with razor-sharp leaves.

"A Sceptile?" May muttered. "But isn't that-"

Lunick nodded at the Sceptile, who nodded back before charging at Hilda's Serperior. Using the blades on its arms that suddenly glowed light blue, Sceptile slashed the Serperior with them in an X-like pattern, hurting the Serperior and leaping gracefully out of the way before it could retaliate.

"Ahh, a decent challenge," Hilda remarked, sounding outright pleased, ignoring the attack on her Serperior. "Samurott, Emboar, take it down!"

But Lunick didn't even have to use verbal commands – a mere gesture of his hand made Sceptile leap into the air and whack the ground hard with its tail, causing a seismic shock wave that knocked Samurott and Emboar off-balance. Finally, the Sceptile struck Samurott with the blades on its tail, expertly avoiding Samurott's horn by sliding underneath it and hitting the water-type's exposed belly.

"Honchkrow, we have to help!" Kris ordered. "Use-"

But Sceptile had already left – its intention wasn't to knock Hilda's Pokémon out, merely distract them long enough for it to leap at Iris, May and Steven.

"Be ready, Excadrill!" Iris said. "It's a grass-type, so use-"

Again, Sceptile moved at a blinding speed towards Iris and her Excadrill. Iris shrieked and covered her head with her arms, but Sceptile wasn't going for her. In a bright green blur, Excadrill was knocked out while the Sceptile grabbed Steven in its arms and carried him away. Sceptile's trainer was quick to follow: Lunick kept up with his Pokémon seemingly effortlessly, moving in long, graceful leaps like a Pokémon.

Shelly, the only Aqua member left, chuckled at the group's dumbfounded expressions.

"That lad's our secret weapon, he is," Shelly boasted. "And when the rest of Hoenn hears about how we captured Steven Stone 'imself, they'll-"

"Like hell!" May yelled. "I have a letter to deliver!"

May followed after Lunick's path, surprising even Shelly with how quick on her feet she was. Sighing, Kris whistled at her Honchkrow.

"We can't let May get herself hurt – I guess," she told it. "After 'em!"

Honchkrow swooped down, allowing Kris to grab its legs. Having already done this many times before, Kris' weight didn't even slow Honchkrow down as it flew after May and Lunick and into the forests surrounding the cliffs. May had disappeared somewhere in the bushes, but Kris was quick to find Lunick, Sceptile and a fainted Steven hiding on a clearing. Even the mysterious Lunick was surprised when Kris and Honchkrow came at them from the sky, but he didn't budge even as Kris landed almost right next to them.

"All right, you've had your fun," Kris said confidently – losing to Brawly had made her desperate to beat at least _someone_ today. "Let go of the nice man and give up so we can all get out of here today!"

Lunick motioned at Sceptile to stay still, removing both the bandanna covering his face as well as the standard Team Aqua bandanna keeping his hair down. Kris frowned as Lunick revealed his face, allowing Kris to see it properly, along with his long, thick dark hair, a red headband keeping it from falling on his face. Lunick was taller and more broad-shouldered than the other Aqua Grunts Kris had seen, but was also younger than Kris had expected, probably being only in his early twenties.

Kris narrowed her eyes and tried to get a better look of him. Hazy memories came back to her mind, but she was unable to connect them to the man standing before her. Who was this guy?

"I have no intention of hurting this man," Lunick spoke up, causing Kris to flinch, "nor you, for that matter. And I don't wish to fight a rookie like you."

"Who are you calling a-" Kris paused mid-yell. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"I only hurt those who stand in our way," Lunick continued and pulled out a short sword with a curved blade from a sheath on his belt, keeping it at the ready – he definitely had the pirate theme down. "For the glory of Team Aqua!"

"Uh, yeah, I was going to ask you about that," Kris said, eyeing the sword warily. "What _exactly_ is it that you guys stand for?"

Lunick tilted his head. "Were our intentions not clear?"

"Not really – I mean, you're pretty vague and act like henchmen from some Saturday morning cartoon. No, wait, have you seen Proteam Omega? There's a guy in that show that dressed up _just_ like you – maybe that's why you look familiar."

Lunick looked even more confused. "Proteam... Omega?"

Kris was also bewildered. The man had a strange accent, unlike Kris had ever heard before, and Kris had spent three months on a ship filled with people from dozens of different corners of the world. Lunick recovered faster, though.

"It doesn't matter what you believe!" he said harshly. "We only wish to create more living space for Pokémon and force humanity to stop their careless expansion!"

"So... why did you have to cage up all those wild Pokémon to do that?" Kris wondered.

"...what?"

"Yeah, Hilda told me she saw you guys rounding up Pokémon from the Granite Cave and locking them up. Not to mention all that drilling you did, which is bound to have ecological ramifications – or something or other, I'm not an expert on that. If I were a Pokémon Ranger, I'd probably give you a lecture about it, but it's still not very cool."

"...you talk a lot," Lunick said simply.

"Yeah, it's weird, isn't it?" Kris babbled, almost forgetting the situation she was in. "A few months ago I barely talked with anyone and now you can't shut me up at all!"

"Does this mean, that... you're a defender of Pokémon?"

"Ehh," Kris said and shrugged. "I just don't feel right having you guys running around causing havoc. I mean, Pokémon are pretty cool, but _sheesh_ , it's like life revolves around them sometimes."

Frowning at Kris, Lunick lowered his sword slightly, looking contemplative.

"What you said might be true," he said, "but I still believe in what we stand for. I have to confront our leader about this."

"Right, your leader," Kris said and nodded. "You know, that person whose name is...?"

"And this man?" Lunick asked, ignoring Kris' question and nodding at Steven, who was still in Sceptile's grasp. "Does he share your ideals? Is he also a Pokémon lover?"

"Eww... I mean, yeah, sure, I think so," Kris said. "Does this mean you'll let him go?"

"For now. Sceptile, let-"

" _STEEEEVEEEEEEEEEN_!"

Something red suddenly appeared on the clearing, swinging from tree to tree on vines with one arm, holding a Torchic in the other. It was May, her face smeared with some kind of war painting – essentially dirt and other stuff she found on the ground. Torchic fired an Ember attack on Lunick's Sceptile, blasting tiny bolts of fire from its mouth at the grass-type, forcing it to drop Steven to block the attacks.

Then, Torchic began to glow and grow bigger and meaner, its tiny chicken legs getting stronger, with sharp nails on each toe, while its wings also expanded from little stubby ones to arm-like appendages with three long claws on each one.

"All right!" May cheered. "Combusken, use Flame Burst!"

Sceptile was taken by surprise as Torchic's evolution spat streams of fire in every direction, almost hitting Kris and Honchkrow as well. The Sceptile looked at its trainer for guidance, but Lunick just shifted his gaze between Kris and May uncertainly. May took advantage of this hesitation and roughly snapped a branch off a nearby tree, using it as a weapon as she charged at Lunick.

But Kris grabbed the stick away from May just in time, causing both May and her Combusken to turn and glare at her.

"That's enough," Kris said plainly. "Lunick! Tell your friends at Team Aqua to withdraw. Just remember that we're _letting_ you go this time. Don't cause anymore trouble!"

"What are you talking about?!" May snapped, trying to grab the branch back, but Kris held it out of her reach. "They're criminals! They deserve what's coming to 'em!"

"They'll go down eventually," Kris said. "But no one except them has been hurt today – and I think we need to tend to him," Kris nodded in the unconscious ex-champ's direction. "Just go away, Lunick."

Reluctantly, Lunick put his saber away and withdrew Sceptile before disappearing into the bushes. May tried to give chase, but Kris grabbed her arm. May easily wriggled herself free and yelled at Kris, but Kris wasn't listening. Instead, she kept staring to the distance. She now remembered where she had seen Lunick – but couldn't even believe it herself.

Steven's Aggron had returned from the Granite Cave and had easily dispatched of Aqua Grunts trying to fight it while releasing the captive Pokémon. Team Aqua had retreated to the boats they had hidden all over the island, fleeing to wherever their hideout was. Soon enough, the group reunited back at the docks, Steven having regained consciousness. May had immediately delivered the letter to him, and was now chatting with him enthusiastically while Wes and Hilda were apparently exchanging pleasantries a little away from the others – or, to be more accurate, Wes was talking to Hilda, who lay on the sand and ate her sandwich, seemingly not hearing what Wes was telling her.

Kris was sitting on the beach slightly away from the others with Iris, confident that she was with the one person who'd actually believe her story.

"So this has been happening since we were at the Ruins of Alph?" Iris wondered.

Kris nodded. "These weird dreams keep on coming, and just when I think I'm forgetting 'em... BAM! I wake up sweating after a yet another one."

"So," Iris said, trying to wrap her head around the situation, "is it always the same dream, or...?"

Kris shook her head. "Sometimes it's the same, sometimes it almost like... continues from where the previous one left off. And they're so vivid, too. But it's weird... I'm not seeing them through my own eyes, or from the perspective of anyone else. I'm observing them somehow, sometimes from the air, sometimes from ground level... it's like I'm some hack film director experimenting with different angles, with equally nauseating results."

"Dreams are fascinating," Iris said wistfully. "Like, I think I know what you mean... have you ever felt like maybe dreams were prophetic, or you were living a past life, or felt like you were actually there, or felt like your mind had written a better movie than any screnwriter could have?"

"Usually my dreams are pretty boring," Kris admitted, smiling. "But, see, it doesn't feel like these are dreams – you remember how I collapsed after touching the walls there?"

"But still..." Iris scratched her head. "To say that this Team Aqua guy is actually-"

"He looks and sounds exactly like the guy I had visions of, and I'm sure he had the same name as well," Kris insisted. "And when we talked – it was like he wasn't from around here at all."

"Well, maybe our language is a second or third language for him," Iris suggested. "Ever think of that?"

"You don't believe me," Kris said. It wasn't a question.

Iris sighed, wringing her hands over the best way to phrase things. "It's... not that," she said. "I _believe_ that you believe it – don't get mad now," she said quickly.

"You suggesting I have a bad temper?!" Kris snapped, only to become aware that she was raising her voice and clasping her hands over her mouth.

Iris smiled. "Just think about it logically. Even assuming they had some ancient technology to record what happened there hundreds of years ago and somehow imprint to your mind, how can that same guy be here now?"

"We know time travel is possible, at least for Pokémon," Kris said. "Remember Celebi?"

"But neither of us saw it," Iris pointed out. "I mean, the Masked Man _thought_ he could use Celebi to go back and forward in time as he pleased, but he could have just heard some legend and assumed it to be true. I suppose we _could_ ask someone who was there. That Hilda girl told me that Lyra is in Hoenn now-"

"We're _not_ asking _Lyra_ anything!" Kris said with finality.

When she realized she was almost yelling at Iris, who looked distraught at Kris' words, Kris buried her face in her hands.

"Sorry," she muttered. "You do what you want, but _I'm_ not asking her anything."

"I know you disagree, but it would be nice to see her," Iris said quietly. "She could be a great help to our mission as well..."

Kris thought about it, and Iris was right. She could and probably would be of help. Like what Kris had seen Lunick do, Lyra could give commands to her Pokémon without uttering a word, and had plenty of high-leveled ones at her disposal. And Lyra wouldn't miss a chance to try and upstage Kris – which was why Kris would steer clear of her until the Hoenn league, which was no doubt the reason Lyra was there in the first place.

She didn't have to answer anything to Iris, as Steven had finished talking with May, and was now making his way to the duo. Kris noticed that he was walking with a slight limp, and wondered what exactly was afflicting him.

"May was _very_ insistent on bringing me this," Steven said and smiled at Kris and Iris, showing the letter Mr. Stone had given. "I wish I had something better to thank her with, but at least I could give her a TM her Mawile could use."

"She has a Mawile now?" Kris asked Iris.

"A lot of stuff happened," Iris muttered hastily.

"She also told me you two wanted to talk to me," Steven continued.

"Yes!" Kris yelled out so loudly that some tourists walking along the beach turned to stare at her. "Sorry," she mumbled quietly. "But we've been looking for you for a long time now! You're a former Champion, right?"

"I think that has been established," Steven said, and though his tone remained benevolent, Kris and Iris got the sense that he didn't appreciate the subject for whatever reason.

"Um," Iris said carefully, "you said earlier that you quit because of people making a fuss... or something."

"I was young, and unprepared for the challenges of being a Champion," Steven admitted. "Everyone said I was good at Pokémon since I was young, but I didn't even want to become a Pokémon trainer in the first place. But I had the skill for it, and I didn't want to be useless, or a burden on anyone, so I went along that route."

"So what have you been doing since then?" Iris asked pleasantly.

"Training, mostly," Steven said with a shrug. "It's a lot more pleasant now that I can do it at my own pace – and the way my Pokémon want it, instead of what the league expects me. I've also been looking for stones, helping out the Mossdeep Space Center, occasionally stopping to help whoever needs me, that sort of thing."

Kris was reminded of what Hilda had told her about the 'code' of being a Pokémon trainer. And Steven, even though he looked like he sorely needed more iron in his diet, still insisted on traveling around, trying to make himself useful...

"Do you know of another 'wandering champ'?" Kris asked quietly. "You know, the one who broke your record of becoming the youngest Pokémon League Champion? That guy?"

Steven looked at Kris stoically, without blinking, though it was possible to register anything from his face.

"I met him," Steven admitted. "About a month ago, that is."

Kris and Iris tensed up, getting closer to Steven and looking around them as if they were discussing issues of national security.

"What did you talk about?" Kris asked Steven quietly.

"I'm sorry, he asked to keep it between us," Steven said firmly. "You're not the first ones to ask, you know."

Kris and Iris didn't feel too disappointed, though. They had partially expected the answer, because whatever he was doing, Red didn't want to be found. But this almost confirmed that he either was in Hoenn, or at least had visited the region. There was bound to be more clues to be found.

"We also wanted to ask you something else," Iris said and took one of the numerous papers containing the strange writing found on the Ruins of Alph from her bag, giving it to Steven. "I know this is kind of a long shot, but, can you-"

Unlike with Red, Steven's expression betrayed him quickly. He raised his eyebrows a little and snatched the paper from Iris with force, though he quickly tried to cover it up by giving the paper back to her gently.

"No," he said quickly, "but I've been looking into this as well... how much do you know?"

"Um... about what?" Iris asked, the question having confounded both her and Kris.

"May told me you were in Johto before this," Steven said quietly, gazing at both Kris and Iris contemplatively. "Is one of you the girl who participated in the trials?"

"Uh, yeah, me," Kris said.

"But I helped!" Iris said quickly. "I mean, not more than the rules allow, but still a little, as in-"

"It's okay," Steven said. "An essential part of the trials is to learn how to measure danger and know when one needs to ask for help – foolishly denying help is not strength, it's stupidity. But that would mean you know of the Legendary Pokémon Society?"

"Hell yeah!" Kris said. "I've met Lance and Morty and even Wallace already."

"And Eusine!" Iris reminded

"Yes, him too, unfortunately. But why do you-"

Steven showed Kris and Iris his badge, something none of the previous members of the Society had done. It was pretty stylish, mostly black with a Poké Ball emblem in the middle, surrounded by the stylized, golden letters 'L' and 'S'.

"Wait, if this society is so 'secret', why do you have a badge?" Iris wondered.

"Sadly, we have to keep the highest levels of government informed of our activities, especially since most of us are in high-ranking positions already," Steven explained. "The Society keeps close track of its members, and unless I put in my fingerprint in this badge once every day, it dissolves. But mostly, it's because having this badge feels cool – and we get discounts."

"I knew it!" Kris said. "I would love to have me one of those. I know it's a bit presumptuous to ask, but-"

"We're not accepting new members at this time," Steven said bluntly, crushing Kris' hopes with a single sentence. "Even then, I wouldn't recommend joining us, especially for someone so young. Joining this organization means devoting your whole life to it. You can't say you have a cousin's wedding to attend to, or an important sports event you want to see, and there is no retirement, no vacations and very little recognition for our efforts. Getting accepted means you have to go through an initiation ritual so brutal that I don't want to reminisce it... which doesn't exactly encourage leaving, either."

"If you think that way, why did you join?" Iris asked.

"Like I said – it's to make myself useful," Steven said, sounding almost melancholy as he spoke. "I want to feel like I'm helping, no matter how little it is."

"Well, then," Iris said, "about the writing-"

"It would be wise if you stopped pursuing it," Steven said firmly. "We're already on the case, but it could involve a high risk. The Wise Trio and even the Elder himself are already focused on translating it, but new writing keeps popping up all the time."

Kris and Iris were even more confused, Iris putting the paper back in her bag. Seeing the disappointed expressions on the girls' faces, Steven smiled reassuringly.

"You helped a lot today, and I owe you for that," he said. "You're both promising trainers, so I would suggest training for the Hoenn League. I'm sure we'll meet each other there, and when we do, I'll have to repay you, somehow. For now, thank you so much, Iris and Kris. Also, about the whereabouts of Red..."

"You know where he is?!" Kris asked quickly.

"Even if I did, I wouldn't tell," Steven said, still smiling slyly. "I mean, he could be anywhere, at the underwater caves in the west, the Battle Frontier in the south, or even..." Steven stopped to scratch his nose. "... the Meteor Falls in the north."

Kris and Iris glanced at each other – Steven didn't say anything else, but Kris smiled back at him, signaling that she understood. Both of them got to shake hands with the former Champion, but before he got to head back to the Dewford Pokémon Center, Kris yelled out after him.

"One more thing, Steven!" she yelled. "How do you become a Pokémon master?!"

Kris knew what the answer was going to be even before asking, but still had a faint hope that it would be something else than-

"You have to figure it out yourself!" Steven answered. "Thanks again, and so long!"

 _Well, damn_.

Kris turned away, and together with Iris, joined May, Wes and Hilda, the latter showing off her combat techniques to May by using Wes as a training mannequin. When he was confident that no one was looking, Steven took the letter from his father and ripped it to shreds without even opening it, letting the wind take the pieces into the sea.


	5. Within Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Kris' group reaches Slateport City, Latias is visited by a ghost from her past.

**Chapter Five: _Within Me_**

_**Location: New Mauville, Hoenn** _

In the maze of corridors and machinery underneath Mauville City, grunts of Team Magma were patrolling around, accompanied by plenty of Mightyena, Golbat, Magcargo and Numel. The biggest consignment of grunts, about ten of them, had gathered into the generator room, where the old gym leader of Mauville City, Wattson, had been imprisoned and shackled into a thick steel pipe, a gag in his mouth. Wattson had to watch helplessly at the Magmas had purposefully overloaded New Mauville's generator, and were now nervously walking around the room, as if expecting something.

Eventually, Miscellaneous Expendable Henchman #8 came up to the grunt in charge, Slightly Less Useless Henchman #3, to report something.

"Sir," MEH#8 said. "We've heard no news from Tabitha. It appears he's vanished."

"And time is running out," SLUH#3 grumbled. "The boss was sure Team Aqua wouldn't miss this chance to boost their ego – especially after one of them was seen harassing a Devon employee earlier. Looks like no one is coming for this old bastard after all..."

"So what do we do now?" MEH#8 asked, unable to think on his own.

"Time for plan B," SLUH#3 said. "We send a ransom demand to the mayor of Mauville City – they give us the submarine once it's done or Mr. Wattson gets it."

"I may be just a nameless goon, but I know _they_ don't value human life all that much. If those Team Aqua bastards keep slandering us more, they'll have to send something bigger than a gym leader to fight us."

"Let them send whatever they want. There's no way they'll get in without us noticing, and if they do, all it takes is for me to make a little tweak to this generator and everything within a mile's radius to go _boom_!"

Their conversation was interrupted by a Magma Grunt suddenly running into the generator room, ignorant of the fact that he kept bumping into his colleagues and machinery, a terrified, glazed look in his eyes as he tried to report to SLUH#3.

" _Sir_!" the frightened grunt panted pathetically as he arrived. "There's... t-there's something..."

"Team Aqua?!" SLUH#3 asked immediately. "Or the police? What is it?!"

SLUH#3 grabbed the frightened grunt by his shoulders and shook, but the frightened grunt just stuttered and sobbed about something, nothing but vague, high-pitched squeaking coming out of his mouth.

"Damn it!" SLUH#3 grunted and pushed the frightened grunt away. "Go see what's going on!" he told MEH#8.

MEH#8 and his Golbat dashed out of the generator room and down the corridor to the observation room where the frightened grunt had come from. The sight that fell before him, however, was nothing but all-out carnage.

Team Magma Grunts and their Pokémon were firing at a Pokémon that looked like a large bird with jet-plane like wings. White and dark red, almost black, in color and with milky white, pupil-less eyes, the monstrous Pokémon was unfazed by the Magma Grunts' fire attacks and even a burst of a flamethrower from one hapless grunt, who was soon blow up by a Mist Ball attack from the creature.

Seeing his comrades taken down within seconds caused MEH#8 and his Golbat to turn tail and try to run back the generator room, but the creature had spotted him, and instead fired a Dark Pulse, a wave of purple and black circles at them, taking both out in an instant.

Back in the generator room, SLUH#3 and the rest of the nameless henchmen had heard the explosions and screams from the other rooms, but were too frightened to move, whispering to each other, wondering if the others were fighting against some kind of secret weapon from Team Aqua. Before SLUH#3 could give out any orders, something blasted a hole in the ceiling, and another Pokémon floated menacingly towards them – this one a bipedal, purple, vaguely feline Pokémon with a long tail, its eyes glowing with a pale blue aura. Before any of the Magmas could attack, the Pokémon pointed its three-fingered hand at them, and one by one, the Magma Grunts and their Pokémon were lifted into the air, where they struggled against the invisible shackles binding them.

Wattson stared in horror as the Pokémon floated towards him, too frightened to even try to scream or to break his shackles. As the Pokémon pointed its hand at him, Wattson cringed and prepared for the worst...

...but all he could hear was the sound of his shackles being broken. Realizing his hands were no longer tied, he removed his gag, then stared up at the purple Pokémon, trying to stutter something or even give out a trademark boisterous laughter, but nothing came out.

Instead of waiting for Wattson to talk, the Pokémon used another psychic attack to blast a hole into the wall next to them, effortlessly carving a tunnel leading up. It then focused entirely on Wattson, whose legs were trembling so badly that he could barely stand.

" _Leave_."

Wattson was confused by the deep voice echoing in his head. He was certain that it was the work of the Pokémon that stood before him, but it hadn't moved its mouth – it was projecting its words into his mind.

" _Leave now_ ," the Pokémon repeated. " _I can see you were not a part of this. Leave now or I'll be forced to do to you what I did to the rest_."

"Wh... why are you doing this to them?" Wattson whispered.

The Pokémon didn't respond, and Wattson realized his options. He wasn't going to stick around to get blown up, and though the idea of abandoning these people in their time of trouble to save himself sickened him, reality wasn't giving him much of a choice. He scurried into the tunnel and crawled away from New Mauville, moving faster than he had done in ten years. Meanwhile, the Pokémon raised its hand and pointed at the helplessly floating Magma Grunts and their Pokémon, ready to make them explode.

Every single second of doing so made it nauseous.

_**Location: Unknown, Hoenn** _

The next morning, Mewtwo and Latias had retreated back into their cave hideout on the outskirts of Hoenn. For about an hour, Latias kept flying over Mewtwo's head, reminiscing the massacre they were just involved, relishing every detail of it. Mewtwo tried its best to meditate, to block away the day's events, but Latias' vivid descriptions of her actions against both the Magma Grunts and their Pokémon. Though Mewtwo knew getting into an ethics debate would be counterproductive to its plan, it tried to ask Latias why she thought killing and/or wounding their Pokémon was okay if Latias felt her retribution on the humans was justified.

"They were in my way," Latias had answered innocently. "I wasn't aiming for them too particularly, but some of them tried to stand between their trainers and me... it made me sick."

Finally, Latias had exhausted her energy supplies and went to sleep. Mewtwo couldn't help but to feel happy that Latias trusted it enough to sleep in its presence – though Mewtwo knew she could sense anything that tried to attack her even in a deep slumber.

Or could she? Latias had told Mewtwo what happened on the fateful day of their capture. Somehow, members of Team Galactic, ordinary humans, had gotten the drop on her and her brother. Latias could be explained by not caring too much about safety at the time, but the way she talked about her brother had Mewtwo convinced that Latios himself was constantly vigilant and didn't trust humanity one bit.

Still, with Latias asleep, Mewtwo could let down its guard a bit. As it relaxed, the psychic shield preventing anyone seeing the old metal necklace it was wearing faded. Mewtwo put the pendant on its hand and observed it. It was possible that there were engravings inside, but even Mewtwo's power was insufficient to open it without destroying it. And yet, somehow, this old, rusty thing had protected the Masked Man from the spell Giratina had placed on him. As soon as Mewtwo had removed the necklace from him, a portal had appeared over the Masked Man's head, sucking him in – there was no need for Giratina Itself to intervene.

But then, what _was_ it doing, then? The Masked Man had initially been one of Giratina's most loyal servants before apparently going rogue, yet Giratina had been confident that his plans would play into Its own schemes, anyway. The more Mewtwo thought about things, it also had to wonder just _how_ was Giratina able to contact it so soon after its escape. Mewtwo pondered the words Giratina had spoken to it:

_"Or hundreds. Or millions. The choice is yours. Just remember that you have nowhere else to go. You're artificial, a human creation… the Pokémon will never accept you as one of them. And as for humans… they won't care if you have their blood in your veins if you have it on your hands, too. You're nothing more than a murderer to them…"_

Even with the necklace giving Mewtwo the ability to keep itself hidden from the beast, it couldn't escape the words It had ingrained on its mind. No matter where Mewtwo went, those prophetic words had come true.

Mewtwo looked at Latias, who looked more peaceful sleeping than Mewtwo had ever seen her before. Was she going through the same things now? Had Giratina also told her what It had told Mewtwo?

_"Your strength is unlike anything I have seen before. It needs to be put to good use… and what better way to fulfill your destiny, than to assume a role in the world that we're shaping?"_

What did it mean? The Masked Man had been ordered to find the Griseous Orb, and Mewtwo knew it was an artifact that could give Giratina power in this world equal to what it possessed in its home dimension. But why not have Mewtwo do it instead?

Mewtwo had also been forbidden from killing Giovanni by Giratina Itself. That was almost a confirmation that _he_ was somehow involved. The thought of _him_ made Mewtwo shudder more than the thought of any other human. Even if Mewtwo hadn't gotten a chance to see much of him, it could sense that there was something in him that made him different from any other human.

 _Latias_ , Mewtwo thought. _I wish I knew what you were dreaming about_...

…

…

…

Latias found herself flying through the Hoenn skies, free of restraints, her scales back to normal, and most importantly, free from the pain. Best of all, her brother was flying besides her. Latias smiled at Latios, who winked back, but flew determinedly forward. Oddly enough, within seconds, the two were back at Mirage Island, the place where all of the pain began. Everything seemed darker than usual, yet Latias couldn't tell whether it was day or night.

"Latios…" Latias said uncertainly, as her brother didn't say anything, just stared forward. "What are we doing here? Is this home?"

"No," Latios responded bluntly. "Home is where I am now. I just needed to show you something. Look."

Latios turned his head, and Latias tried to see what he was looking at. Mirage Island was the same as it ever was, except completely empty now.

No, not empty. There was something on the ground, motionless, but in the shape of a Pokémon… only with large chunks of it charred, burned away. Latias felt sick – she didn't want to look at it anymore, as she knew exactly what it was.

"I'm…" Latias said, trying to hold back tears. "I'm sorry, I…"

"Don't be," Latios said calmly. "Just accept it. That thing there will soon be washed away by the tides, but it is not me. Not anymore. Now I'm… well, everywhere, really. I always thought how good it was that I could be away from the influence of humans and other Pokémon, free to roam the world. But only now I'm truly free."

"I want to be free too," Latias said weakly.

"You can be. But first of all, you have to do one thing."

"What's that?"

"Wake up, sis."

…

…

…

Latias woke up with a sudden snort. Sensing something, she turned to look at something floating next to her. Without hesitation, she fired a Mist Ball at it, only for the attack to go straight through the ghostly figure. As the dust cleared, Latias gasped slightly when she recognized the figure floating above her. It had blue and white scales, red irises and jet-plane like wings.

"No..." Latias muttered. "It couldn't be you..."

Latios smiled back gently.

"It's me, sis."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Mr. Briney's boat, en route to Slateport City, Hoenn** _

"You're bitter, Krissy."

"I am not!"

"Jealous?"

"No."

"...bitterly jealous?"

"NO!"

"Hey, come look, I can see a shipwreck!"

"Iris, not now!" Kris snapped at Iris, who had been staring out of the window throughout the trip. "Wes, please, May just won because she got lucky – I'm happy for her," she added through gritted teeth.

May had surrounded herself with her Pokémon in one corner of the cabin. She was feeding her Combusken, Shroomish and Mawile, thanking them for a successful battle, while also polishing her new Knuckle Badge. After the little adventure at the Granite Cave, May had made her way confidently to the gym. Her Combusken had actually beaten Medicham by sheer tenacity and giving it a burn, but fell to Brawly's Hariyama. Surprisingly, it was May's new Mawile that won the match, first by using Iron Defense to laugh off all of Hariyama's attacks, then knock it the frak out with its patented move, Play Rough.

"Look, it's okay to admit you're jealous, or bitter, or... bealous," Wes said calmly while Kris was on the verge of a fit of rage. "You were writing nasty things about May in that book before!"

"I was not!" Kris protested. "Also, you read it?! I swear to Arceus, Wes, I will stab you in the pancreas!"

"What are you thinking?" Wes gasped in fake shock. "I didn't have to read it, I could read the look on your face when you were writing on it, and Iris already told me that it was a diary."

"Traitor!" Kris snapped at Iris. "I swear to Arceus, Iris, I will stab you in the pancreas!"

Wes laughed, but this quickly faded into little muted noises when Hilda descended into the cabin. Just like that, Wes looked like a five-year old boy being scolded by his mom.

"Is Wesley being an ass again?" Hilda asked.

"What do you mean 'again'?" Kris retorted.

"Hey!" Wes protested weakly.

"Yeah, you're right there," Hilda chuckled. "By the way, May, nice going against Brawly earlier!"

"Oh... um, thanks!" May said nervously.

"Yeah, though it could have used less swearing and raging," Hilda said. "Also, you don't have to act like you're throwing yourself into the thick of it every time you have a battle. Your Pokémon will grow to become real douches if you keep that up."

May was devastated by this brutal advice, and sputtered some protests indignantly, but Hilda didn't stick around to listen but instead sat on the floor right next to Kris and Wes, the latter looking outright terrified when Hilda snatched a sheet of paper from his hand – he didn't protest.

"So, this is the whatchamacallit prophecy you guys have investigated all this time?" Hilda asked casually while she leaned against Wes like he was just a piece of furniture. "Tell you what, give me a couple of those papers and I'll ask Alder if he knows anything the next time I see him."

"But... no," Wes squeaked out. "You can't-"

"Sounds good to me," Kris said with a shrug. "What about you, Iris?"

Iris didn't seem to hear what Kris said. She was looking out of the cabin's window like a Growlithe who had just spotted some prey. Soon after, a high-pitched squeal came out of her mouth and her eyes practically shined as she stared out of the window and pointed at something.

"I can see it!" Iris yelled. "Slateport City! We're almost there!"

"Huh, that was quick," Hilda remarked. "So, how about it with these papers?"

"Did you know some people from Unova used to be at war with people from Hoenn?" Iris ranted, completely in her own world now. "And that the war didn't stop until the Unovans had to drop a bomb right here where Slateport is now? That was like a hundred years ago, and look how well these people have recovered! It's amazing!"

"When aren't Unovans at war with someone?" Hilda laughed. "If it's not with other regions or countries, they'll fight themselves. But Iris, are you listening?!"

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure, you can have it... wow, the first thing I want to do is to visit Stern's Shipyard! And then I want to visit that professor – and then I want to head to the markets!"

"Ooh, shopping, sounds awesome, my Pokémon could use some vitamins," said May who was now looking out of the window with Iris. "Don't forget, though, _I'm_ in charge of the package to Stern – but you can go with me."

"Gee, what an honor."

"Am I just air to you guys?" Wes asked impatiently.

"I wish," Kris remarked.

"She's..." Wes motioned wildly in Hilda's direction, while Hilda was just filing her nails casually. "We can't just... she's not..."

"How astute, Wes," Hilda said cruelly. "The world of literature suffered a great loss when you went into... whatever it is that you do now."

"Yeah, we're just going to ignore you now," Kris told Wes. "Hilda, you can have it. Also... you know, say hi to Alder for me."

"Oh, I'll be watching your progress, don't you worry," Hilda smirked.

" _Slateport City ahoy_!" Mr. Briney announced from above. " _Get ready for docking_!"

As Kris, Iris, May, Wes and Hilda left their boat with their belongings, Kris and Iris stopped to thank Mr. Briney for everything. Peeko was especially sad to see Kris go – not because of Kris herself, but because it had befriended Shrew during the trip. Shrew had to be kept in the Poké Ball for now, though, as it tried to cut one of Wes' arteries every time the two were close to each other. Briney said he wouldn't be going back to Petalburg straight away, though, as he also had business in Slateport, and promised they would meet again.

Slateport City reminded Kris a lot of Olivine, as there were ships coming and going constantly, a lighthouse stood tall above everything else and the city was bustling with people from all over the world, sailors and tourists in particular, the group having to be very careful not to lose sight of each other in the crowd.

Stern's Shipyard, a large, wooden building by the ocean, was only a few minutes away from the docks. The group had a better chance to talk now that they were out of the crowds a little.

"Well, here it is!" May said briskly and tapped Mr. Stone's package, that she carried under her arm. "So, are we all going, or...?"

"Nah, I don't care," Hilda just said. "Like I said, I need to get to Alder. You guys have fun, though. Catch ya later!"

"Um, actually," Wes said awkwardly, his smug exterior having mostly vanished in Hilda's presence, "I have a meeting I should attend, so maybe I'll go with you for a while, Hilda... we can catch up on old times."

"Yeah, because I clearly haven't suffered enough," Hilda joked and rolled her eyes. "Later, everyone! Wes, if you can't keep up, I'm ditching you!"

Hilda left, but Wes still stayed, unsure of what he should say. Kris crossed her arms and glared at him – Wes would get no fond farewells from her.

"Um, be careful, y'all," Wes said. "If I find out anything more, I'll track you down."

"Oh, goodie," Kris grumbled. "Well, bye, take your time with whatever it is that you're doing."

"Sure thing, Kris," Wes said and looked at the ground. "It was nice to meet you, May. And Iris, I..." Wes shifted his weight from one leg to another awkwardly. "Stay awesome."

Iris waved at Wes sadly, being the only one in the group showing any signs of sadness. Kris was impatient to see Wes go while May was barely listening, as she wanted to get the package delivered.

"Bye bye, Wes," Iris said.

Wes nodded and waved back a little before running after Hilda. When Wes disappeared into the crowds, Kris let out a gargantuan sigh.

"Well, now we can breathe easy," she said. "To be fair, though, I want to see what else is in here."

"You should try the markets," Iris suggested.

"Well... there's so many people, and I'd have to talk to them..."

"Okay, well, how about the museum, then?"

Iris pointed at the large, modern building just two blocks away from the Shipyard. Kris groaned again – the word 'museum' was even more detestable than 'social interaction with strangers'. Still, going there required less walking, so Kris complied.

While Kris headed for the museum, Iris and May stepped inside the Shipyard. However, their awkward entrance went mostly ignored, as the engineers and construction workers inside were far too busy to give them a second look. On top of that, neither Iris nor May wanted to bother them too much, so they just walked around the Shipyard aimlessly, May holding the package in clear view, hoping someone would spot them.

Eventually, a short, balding, middle-aged man carrying a bunch of rolled-up papers approached them, waving and smiling cheerfully.

"Welcome to Stern's Shipyard!" he said loudly, offering a rough handshake to both Iris and May. "My name is Dock, the man in charge of Stern's latest project: the S.S. Tidal! How may I be of service?"

"Oh, wow," May said, taken aback by the jovial greeting. "Well, I'm looking for Mr... I mean, _Captain_ Stern."

"Hah, don't mind!" Dock laughed. "You can just call him Stern! He's not an actual captain, just an oceanographer who built this Shipyard and the museum and has given this town lots of jobs – why, our status as on of the most important ports in the world wouldn't be without him. Out of respect for him, the townspeople started calling him 'Captain' Stern. Why, even I would still be unemployed if it wasn't for him!"

"I have a package for him," May said and showed the Devon Goods.

"Oh, my!" Dock said dramatically. "The parts we ordered from Devon – took them long enough! Hah, only kidding, that's the submarine division's problem! See, after we had to forfeit our initial Submarine Explorer 1 to the government, we began construction of Submarine Explorer 2, bigger and better than before! The thing you're carrying there is an additional part for helping the submersible pod that's going to be attached to the sub survive even the most intense pressures deep in the ocean."

"Yeah, okay," May said quickly. "But can I see Captain Stern now?"

"Oh, you could, but he's not here at the moment, I'm afraid!" Dock said, prompting May to roll her eyes. "I'm not sure where he... ah, Professor Ivy! I need to speak with you a moment!"

A tall scientist with long, purple hair who was balancing a cup of coffee dangerously on some research notes, noticed Dock's wave an approached the group curiously.

"This is Professor Philena Ivy, one of the researchers helping us with the project," Dock explained. "Professor, these two are looking for Captain Stern."

"Hello," Ivy said, "it's nice to – are you okay?"

While May introduced herself casually, Iris was staring at Ivy intently, like she was looking at something really far away, then suddenly clasped her hands together enthusiastically, letting out a dramatic gasp.

"You're the professor who lectured at my university!" Iris squealed. "Oh, I'm Iris, from Unova," Iris bowed politely. "I've been wanting to ask you something for ages now!"

"Yeah, but first things first – where's this Stern guy?" May asked impatiently.

"He's at the museum, I believe – he also has curator duties there," Ivy explained, gazing at Iris with interest. "I do remember doing a guest lecture there, though that was so long ago – you're interested in my research?"

"Yes!" Iris said enthusiastically. "I'd particularly like to know about..."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Oceanic Museum, Slateport City, Hoenn** _

When demanded to pay fifty poké-dollars at the entrance, Kris was initially hesitant and tried to think of a way to distract the receptionist, until the receptionist suddenly asked if she was part of the 'group that arrived earlier'. Kris immediately said yes and was allowed in for free. However, even that seemed like wasted effort, as water samples from different regions and model whirlpools were of little interest to Kris. Someone like Iris or Leaf would have probably appreciated the crap out of what was on display, but Kris found herself yawning through her walk around the museum, wondering exactly where this 'group' the receptionist had mentioned was hiding.

In the second floor, that was completely bereft of visitors, Kris saw something that drew her interest: a model ship that was almost an exact replica of the S.S. Anne. Kris went closer to carefully inspect it from every angle. Seeing the ship again really took her back – she wondered what Captain Cutter and the crew were up to now.

_Well... sailing, probably._

"Like it?"

"Sweet Crystal Dragon Jesus!"

Kris practically jumped backwards as she turned to look at the guy who had talked to her – it was a man in his thirties in a lab coat with glasses, messy dark hair and mustache.

"Sorry," the man said nebbishly and took a step back. "I just wanted to make sure people enjoyed our models."

"Oh, yeah, it's really well-crafted," Kris said after catching her breath. "For a while, I could almost remember the smell of the bathrooms we had to clear every time after those rich a-holes had their party..."

"Mmyes," the man mumbled, adjusting his glasses – his demeanor reminded Kris of someone. "Allow me to introduce myself – Captain Stern, at your service."

"Stern..." Kris mumbled, then snapped her fingers. "Oh, yeah, my name's Kris! I... well, _we_ were supposed to deliver you the Devon Goods! My friends went looking for you at the shipyard."

"Oh... well, I'm sure they'll find here soon," Stern said. "Thank you for your efforts – here, take a look at this!"

Stern led Kris to another model – two, in fact, in display cases next to each other. One was of a white submarine, the other of a blue, spherical pod.

"Once our submarine finishes, we will able to explore regions as unknown to us as even the deepest reaches of space," Stern announced. "There could be yet-to-be discovered Pokémon, signs of an ancient civilization of some sort..."

Kris was reminded of the mysterious writings, but since Iris had them with her, she couldn't exactly ask Stern about them, so she just nodded politely.

"Once the submarine is complete, I can focus on completing the S.S. Tidal," Stern said wistfully. "Oh, it will be a proud day, to have so many years worth of slaving be finally done... see, we have missed our deadline several times now. Budget, weather, bad coordination – and then our submarine was seized for military use. It's chaos, I tell you."

"This is all really fascinating," Kris lied, "but maybe we should head to the Shipyard so we can give you the packa-"

" _You're not going anywhere_!"

Kris and Stern turned to look at the doorway. Two Team Aqua grunts, one female and one male, stood there, blocking the only exit, smirking smugly at them. But they had to stand aside when a third grunt arrived, this one wearing a slightly different outfit and carrying a short sabre, instantly recognizable from his black hair and big, blue eyes.

"Well, Captain Stern, I believe Team Aqua has negotiated with you before," Lunick said boisterously, "and you have denied us every time. I admire a man who sticks to his principles, but if you had any idea what we're about to do here, you'd..."

Lunick noticed Kris' presence, while Kris noticed his. The two pointed at each other in surprise, Lunick using his sword to do so.

"You!" they yelled simultaneously.

"Uh," Stern whined, looking like he was about to wet himself. "If you're having a moment, I can just go, I gue-"

"Hold it, Captain!" Lunick exclaimed. "Out of respect for your rank, I will not have you handed to our leader, but you will-"

"He's not a real captain," Kris said flatly.

"...what?" Lunick asked.

"It's a nickname. He's an – what was it again..." Kris took out a brochure about Slateport City. "...oceanographer. Man, tricky word, that."

"I... see."

Lunick gathered the other two Aqua Grunts closer to himself for a group huddle. After some muttering and whispering, the Aqua Grunts assumed their position and Lunick cleared his throat.

"Out of respect for the admiration the people in this city have for you," Lunick amended, "I will give you a chance. Co-operate with us and hand over the package and no one will be harmed."

"I-I don't have the package yet!" Stern stuttered. "How did you even get in here?"

"You have much to learn about the art of guerrilla warfare, Capt – Oceanographer," Lunick scoffed. "We arrived here in the guise of an ordinary group of tourists, then dispersed all over this building and its surroundings. Your enforcers-"

"Huh?" Stern wondered.

"I think he means the security," Kris muttered.

"Yes, you should have greater care over the dedication of your subordinates, Mr. Stern," Lunick said. "With a promise of monetary gain and a collection of explicit imagery, it was easy to get out of the place for the day. We hid our members in the lavatories, broom closets, behind the building, and swapped into our uniforms to prepare for our takeover."

"Not as sneaky as I'd had done it," Kris pointed out. "I mean, aren't you going to attract attention in those bright blue outfits?"

Lunick narrowed his eyes. "You dare question the power of the uniform? It reinforces morale and team spirit, eliminates aesthetic distractions and strikes fear in the hearts of our opponents! They're infamous throughout the globe!"

"Not really, I come from Johto, which is actually pretty close by, and I hadn't heard of you guys before I got here."

Lunick was unamused.

"You two, don't move a muscle," he told the grunts coldly, glaring at Kris. "She has stood in Team Aqua's way long enough."

Kris smiled. _For once, someone I can clobber_.

"Bring it on," she said, grabbing Croc's Poké Ball from her belt, while Lunick took out a Poké Ball of his own.

Captain Stern backed against the wall in terror. Kris wasn't exactly sure why, as Team Aqua didn't match what she thought when she heard the word 'threatening', and either way, they wouldn't be a problem for long.

"Before we begin, I have to ask you something," Lunick said calmly. "If we're going to fight as equals, I would like to know your name."

"It's Kris, but don't bother," Kris deadpanned. "No one ever remembers it and they just call me 'what's-her-face' or 'that one' or something stupid. And I swear, if someone calls me Lyra once more-"

"Kris," Lunick repeated in confusion. "Would that be short for something?"

"..." Kris muttered indignantly.

"Sorry, I'm afraid I didn't catch that."

"...Crystal."

Lunick smiled, but didn't laugh, which Kris was grateful for. "How pretty," he said. "Well, my name is Lunick, as I'm sure you remember. I have to warn you in advance that just because you're young and inexperienced, I won't hold back."

"Hah, you mean you'll 'be gentle' or something? This isn't my first time, you know"

"Yes, I'll... oh, do get your mind out of the gutter. I'm trying to initiate a Pokémon battle here."

"Sorry," Kris said. "And I do know your name. In fact... there's something I've been meaning to ask you, too. Where are you from?"

Lunick narrowed his eyes again and stared at Kris warily – Kris could almost hear him trying to think of an answer.

"It wouldn't make a difference if I told you," Lunick said hesitantly. "You wouldn't have heard – wait. You said earlier you came from the Johto region, right?"

"Yeah, it's probably raining buckets over there right now."

"Then..." Lunick hesitated a bit, licking his lips as he looked at Kris uncertainly. "Do you know of a place called, the... Alph Valley?"

Kris tried to hold back a scream of ' _I knew it!'._ She stared at Lunick – her memories of him were hazy, yes, and his outfit at the time had been different, definitely from a different era. But something of him still reminded Kris of the brave warrior who had protected his home from those _things_ emerging from a portal.

"They're called the Ruins of Alph now," Kris said firmly. "Nothing but rubble and empty catacombs filled with archeologists at this point."

Kris and Lunick stared each other down, Lunick putting his sword back in his sheath hesitantly. Kris knew Lunick would think she was insane for saying it, but she had to get this out:

"You were there, weren't you?" Kris asked. "A few hundred years ago, you were fighting... against something from the Distortion World."

Lunick's eyes widened. His mouth slightly open in his shock, he seemed to tremble a bit, staring at Kris like she was a ghost. It got to a point that his hand was shaking so bad that he had to grab it with his other hand, putting the Poké Ball away.

"H-how... how can you... what are you?" he stuttered.

"I know this sounds dumb," Kris began, "but I kind of... saw you."

"How?"

"Hallucination slash dream slash metaphysical acid trip. Not sure even if those are accurate. I think I touched some of the writing on the walls there."

"A _what_ trip?"

"You really are him," Kris said, almost wanting to laugh at how right she had been. "But... why? I mean, what in the world happened? How are you here now?"

"If I would have died when the valley collapsed, I would have at least gone with honor," Lunick said bitterly, staring at his shaking hands. "But instead, something... _monstrous_ came and yanked me out of my time. Even my Manectric was left behind. I have no idea why that Pokémon decided to take me, or appear at that exact moment. I woke up on the mountains in the middle of nowhere, in a strange place a thousand miles from Johto. That was only three months ago... or three months and three hundred years ago, I don't even know!"

Watching at Lunick's anguish made Kris think about what Iris had told her three years ago. The GS Ball, an object the Masked Man and Neo Team Rocket had been after was finally opened, just when Kris herself wasn't present, no less. It had contained Celebi, a time-traveling Pokémon who had apparently disappeared into a vortex of some kind. But why would it have done that? Why go to _that_ exact moment in time?

"You didn't answer the 'how are you here now' part," Kris said. "You don't seem to have that much trouble fitting in, or to the fact that everyone you knew back then is gone."

"Yes, the shock of realizing the current year was... I can barely describe it," Lunick reminisced. "It felt like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from, like a divine punishment for failing to save everyone from my home. I didn't eat anything for days, I ran away from everyone who tried to approach me. But now I know how fortunate I was to end up where I did."

"Where was that?"

"Fiore, a mountainous region to the north," Lunick explained. "For the next two months, the locals, the Pokémon Rangers, took me in and showed me the ropes of their lifestyle. The culture shock was... lesser than I would have thought. I didn't tell anyone about who I was or where I came from, even if I was grateful to their help. I was able to pay back their kindness by doing fieldwork and fixing things, simple things that I was somewhat capable at. But then Shelly and some other recruiters appeared to our community..."

"I can see where this is going," Kris muttered.

"They gave me a chance!" Lunick insisted. "Even with the little I knew, I was no builder or farmer, and I certainly didn't have the patience to learn of everything that had happened in the past. I would have only been a burden to the Rangers, so I demonstrated my abilities with the Pokémon I got from them and was immediately recruited into Team Aqua."

" _Why_?!" Kris wondered loudly. "Hell, you're not even from this era and you sound a lot more sensible than those other freaks-"

"Do _not_ insult us!" Lunick yelled. "Only Team Aqua can restore things to the way they were. I have been in this region for a month, and I have seen the damage you people have done to it!"

"See, _now_ it sounds like we're in Proteam Omega," Kris said.

Lunick had enough, and he quickly tossed his Poké Ball at the ground, causing his Sceptile to come out. Kris was quick to send out her Feraligatr as well, Croc roaring and stretching his arms as soon as it was out, furious over his loss to Brawly's Hariyama yesterday.

"You're sure you can call yourself a Pokémon Trainer?" Lunick scoffed. "You're putting yourself at a disadvantage already."

"Yeah, you're gonna find out that type advantages mean jack-squat nowadays – if you know what you're doing," Kris said. "Croc, Ice Punch!"

An icy-bluish white glow enveloping its fist, Croc lunged at the Sceptile and prepared to punch it, Sceptile managing to barely dodge the attack. Lunick ordered a Leaf Blade, but Kris countered with a Slash, Croc's claws swiping right through even the sharp blades on Sceptile's tail, making the grass-type squeal and move its tail away.

"Where is your honor?" Lunick ranted as he saw Sceptile's tail missing several of its blades.

"Never had any," Kris retorted. "They'll grow back, anyway – and besides, I don't make a habit of holding back against people trying to kill me. It happens so often that it's not even funny."

"Hold on," Lunick said and raised his hand in the air as Kris was about to order another attack. "You think I'm here to kill you?"

"Well, you said you didn't, but what does that count for these days, anyway?" Kris scoffed. "Now, Team Aqua on the other hand – did you ever stop to wonder about what you've gotten yourself into?"

Lunick's irritated and confused frown was all the answer Kris needed.

"I... don't believe you," Lunick said hesitantly. "But I'm willing to hear your side of the story. How about this: your Feraligatr, my Sceptile, a fair, one-on-one battle-"

"Isn't that we've been doing already?"

"-and if you win, we'll leave this city and stay out of your way for good, I promise. If I win, you'll come with us as a hostage and you'll get to see our leader – you will be unharmed. Again, I promise with my life."

Kris thought about her options. A part of her wanted to throw the fight just to see who, exactly, was behind all of this. But there's no way she'd do that to Croc – the Feraligatr hadn't gotten the chance to really throw down. He had already lost to Shelly and Brawly, and the battle against Roxanne's Nosepass had been as effortless as coughing with the massive type advantage.

_Yeah. No way I'm gonna do anything else but beat this guy to the ground._

"Deal," Kris said.

"Don't regret this later," Lunick warned. "Energy Ball!"

"Protect!"

Lunick and Sceptile were fast, the Sceptile having taken the opportunity to subtly start forming a green sphere of energy between its hands, launching it upon Lunick's command. But Kris was used to quick opponents and countered it, the orb hitting the invisible wall Croc had erected and exploding, green sparkles raining everywhere in a sight that would make a hippie tingle with joy.

"Now, Superpower!"

Croc's speed surprised Sceptile, the Feraligatr having gathered all of its energy on its glowing fist. But Sceptile managed to dodge the attack, then trip Croc with Slam. But as Croc fell down, its head landed next to Sceptile's tail. Before Sceptile could move, Kris ordered an Ice Fang, the Feraligatr chomping down on the exposed parts of Sceptile's tail, sending a cold sensation down the grass-type's spine and making it flinch for a split-second.

"Ice Punch!"

With Sceptile flinched and unable to do anything, Croc's fist glowed again, and this time, the attack landed square on Sceptile's chest, shards of ice spreading all over Sceptile's body from the point of impact. For a while, Sceptile just shivered with the cold, its normally calm expression turned to wide-eyed shock.

"It's frozen!" Kris praised. "Now, use Crunch!"

"Agility!"

Croc's attack missed as the Sceptile seemed to vanish completely, leaving just ice fragments behind. Somehow, it had moved with blistering speed just a few feet away, and from Lunick's command, launched another Energy Ball, which struck Croc, but didn't bring the Big Jaw Pokémon down.

"How did you do that?!" Kris wondered. She was more impressed than angry, something that surprised even herself.

"Your strategy was easy to read," Lunick said. "Block and then charge, then repeat. Your Feraligatr is definitely faster than I assumed, but it would have worn itself out soon. When Sceptile was freezing, you attacked without confirming if it had frozen completely, allowing Sceptile to flee with Agility. Then, as I predicted, _Croc_ was too tired to dodge."

"Neat," Kris praised. "Croc, Ice Punch!"

"Leaf Blade!" Lunick yelled.

Sceptile jumped in the air, about to jab Croc with its spike-filled tail, while Croc lunged at it, ready to deal with the finishing blow. Both attacks hit at the same time, Croc having punched Sceptile in the stomach while Sceptile had jabbed the Feraligatr in the head. For a while, the two Pokémon just stood still, not moving a muscle, staring each other down. When neither Pokémon would fall after ten seconds of intense staring, the two Pokémon closed their eyes simultaneously and came crashing down, both unable to battle.

Kris and Lunick recalled their Pokémon, again at the same time, then glanced at each other.

"Next Pokémon?" Kris asked.

"Next Pokémon!" Lunick replied. "Go-"

But the two Aqua Grunts at the entrance were suddenly knocked by a strange, bipedal green and yellow Pokémon Kris had never seen before – it looked like it was wearing a mushroom as a hat and had a long tail with green seed clusters at the end of it. It could even extend its normally stubby arms.

"What's that?!" Lunick snapped as he glared at the new arrival.

"You don't recognize it?" asked a familiar voice next to the Pokémon. "Say hello to my new Breloom!"

The one hiding behind the Pokémon was May, also accompanied by her Combusken. Kris waved at her, but May seemed more interested in Stern, who had hidden under a table during the fight.

"Captain Stern!" May exclaimed. "I brought your package," she added and tapped the thing she was carrying. "Just had to take care of Team Aqua first."

"All of them?!" Lunick wondered.

"Ah, hi there, Sceptile-boy," May greeted as if she had just noticed Lunick. "Yeah, I did it all by myself – it was easy after Shroomish evolved mid-battle," she patted the Breloom.

Kris gave her an incredulous look.

"Okay, yeah, I called the police when I spotted an Aqua Grunt sneaking around the museum," May admitted and rolled her eyes, "but I really helped!"

"The law enforcers?" Lunick said in confusion. "But- that doesn't make... the leader said..."

"So, do you know this guy, or something?" May asked Kris. "You always seem to find each other in odd places."

Kris sighed. "It's a long-"

Lunick didn't wait around to be arrested, instead charging at the nearest window. Letting out a weird battle cry as he went, Lunick smashed through the window, Kris and May hearing a loud thud as he landed. Rushing to the window, Kris and May saw Lunick evading two police officers, hopping on the roof of a police car and jumping into the crowds. Though the police gave pursuit, Kris strongly doubted that Lunick could get caught. He didn't survive a three-century trip for nothing.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Outskirts of Slateport City, Hoenn** _

Somewhere around the seedier parts of town, Wes was talking to his contact via a public payphone. Holding the earpiece against his cheek and shoulder, Wes used his free hands to write what he heard on his notepad.

"...yeah, they're on the right track," Wes said. "Uh huh. Okay. Uh, okay, how do you spell that? Ver-dan-turf, okay. What am I supposed to find... oh. But how is she- oh. _Oh_. Crap. I see. Well shouldn't we tell... no, yeah, you're right. I'll call you when it's done. Bye."

Sighing, Wes hung up and ripped the paper with his instructions from the notepad, putting it in his pocket. Mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do, Wes grabbed the earpiece once again and dialed another number – even if every single push of a button made him hate himself.

After having to listen to the dial tone for an obnoxiously long amount of time, Wes thinking his other contact was deliberately letting him wait, the contact finally picked up the phone:

" _Cheren_ _'_ _s office_."

"It's me," Wes grunted.

" _Ahh, Wesley –_ _you were worrying me there for a moment._ _I swear, I had many sleepless nights over you. There are really nasty criminals out there in Hoenn..._ _but then I remembered that you'll fit right in._ "

"Yeah, yeah," Wes grumbled. "I have a status update for you. The Crystal One is in Slateport, heading up to Mauville next. And The Soulful One is-"

" _In Verdanturf Town, yes, that I'm aware of. But nice job on the other one_."

"Yeah, now do we have to use these idiotic code names?"

" _What? You don't think they're cool?_ "

"Well, if someone _is_ listening in, they've probably seen me with them already, and when you're talking about 'The Crystal One', even agent Numbnuts, the guy who can't tie his own shoelaces can put two and two together."

" _Now, Wesley, you know we don't have anyone like that working for us. Num_ _b_ _n_ _u_ _ts is a woman, and I won't let you badmouth her anymore_."

"Whatever, was there anything else you need me to do?"

" _Yes._ _Speaking of The Soulful One, I need you to pay her a visit._ _See to it she doesn't, how should I put it, 'stray from the path'._ _Crystal still needs a few more badges, correct_?"

"Yes, two."

" _But the other one doesn't, so see to it she goes through the path we laid out for her._ _Give her at least part of the same spiel_ _you gave Crystal – destiny,_ _altruism,_ _world of Pokémon_ _, blah blah. But you know, in your own words._ _Just make sure she goes through the Weather Institute, we'll take care of the rest_."

"Sure."

" _Watch the tone now,_ _I am your employer, after all. But I guess that would be all for now, Wesley. It's always a pleasure when we have our little chats_."

"Eat me," Wes grunted and hung up.

As soon as Wes was done, Hilda emerged from behind the payphone, hands in her pockets and a knowing smile on her face. Wes didn't even flinch too badly this time.

"You're a sneaky bastard, aren't you?" she teased.

"I thought I told you this was a private call," Wes muttered, unable to sass Hilda while looking at her in the eye.

"Oh, I know, that was one part I was gonna praise – most people just blurt private stuff out, but you managed to make sure I didn't hear anything important," Hilda said cheerfully, giving Wes a playful punch in the arm. "Good for you, really clever!"

"Well, I... wait, are you being conde-"

"But I was also gonna praise your double-dealing," Hilda continued. "That was very skillful."

"You're not gonna ask me who it was?" Wes wondered.

Hilda shrugged. "I don't care."

Wes sighed. "I guess that means you're not gonna tell me who you're working for and what your _real_ interest in Kris is, huh?"

Hilda grinned. "We're professionals, Wesker – we know better than to do that. You have your little endgame and I have mine."

"But still," Wes argued, almost unnerved by Hilda's constant zip-a-dee-doo-dah-ness. "I mean... the last time I saw you were in hospital gowns, handcuffed to the bed. You had just... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Hilda stopped smiling, instead narrowing her eyes and moving threateningly close to Wes. "You're saying I'm weak?"

"No!" Wes squealed in terror. "No, I just meant-"

"Ahh, you're so easy to fool," Hilda laughed, nudging Wes with her elbow – Wes wondered how long was he going to be her punching bag. "What can I say, life goes on, right? Wounds like that don't slow me down."

Wes was going to open his mouth to say something else, but decided to just nod instead.

"Well, I'mma go see if there are any good seafood places here," Hilda said and waved at Wes. "Guess you're going to Verdanturf, then. See ya!"

Wes watched after Hilda, who walked briskly back into town, not a care in the world. Much as that woman scared him poopless, Wes had to smile. Strength like that was hard to come by.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Unknown, Hoenn** _

"It can't be you," Latias panicked. "This is another dream."

Latias tried pinching herself, slapping herself, even bashing her head against a rock, which barely scraped the legendary Pokémon. But her brother, or something that looked like him, floated before her, as if he had never left. Latias reached out for Latios, attempting to touch his hand with hers... only to have her hand go right through him. Watching Latias' hand, Latios' smile faded a bit.

"You're not here," Latias whispered.

"Yes," Latios said warmly. "And no. Maybe. I told you before – it's like I'm, well, everywhere. Wherever I am, I had limited time to come here and tell you something. It's not normally allowed, but-"

"So... you're a ghost now?" Latias wondered, flying around Latios and looking at him from every corner. He looked solid, except for the fact that the rocks in the cave seemed to go right through him.

"Don't ask me to explain it," Latios laughed. "This is hard enough as it is."

"You look like him," Latias said. "You sound like him. You even act like him."

"It's me, sis," Latios assured. "I promise."

"I... I've been thinking about what we talked about just before..." Latias gulped. "I've tried to complete your mission, brother. I have a friend working with me. Together we've been annihilating humans. I don't know why I ever doubted you. The humans that I've seen have been the lowest scum in the world. They've enslaved and captured Pokémon, killed members of their own species without hesitation – even they would benefit if we'd wipe them off the map."

Latios smiled wider than Latias could remember, bringing tears of joy in her eyes.

"That's good," Latios beamed. "You've done very well. Who is this ally?"

"They've been very helpful!" Latias said enthusiastically. "They remind me of... well, they call themselves Mewtwo. I think they have something to do with the 'Ancestral One' legend you once told me about."

Latios smiled. "Calm down, sis, I can see you're excited," he said. "I'm really glad you finally saw the truth. But there is still something I want you to do."

"Anything!" Latias promised.

"The Soul Dew," Latios said. "Do you know of it?"

Latias shook her head, eyes wide with enthusiasm.

"If you have it, we can be reunited again," Latios said, prompting Latias to almost explode from excitement. "It is where my soul is trapped at the moment. It has been encased in the Enigma Stone, which needs to be broken if I'm to ever find peace."

"But... why didn't you tell me this before?" Latias asked.

"I wasn't sure, but I am now," Latios urged. "But the Enigma Stone is indestructible. Only a specific clause will activate it. The legendary Pokémon Kyogre. Remember when we talked about it?"

Latias nodded. "The creator of the seas, yes, I remember!"

"The only thing that will bring it out of its slumber is the Blue Orb," Latios said. "There are humans called Team Aqua who are looking for it now, that's your best bet. But that alone isn't enough... Kyogre won't do anything unless Groudon is present, and to awaken it, you need the Red Orb. When the two Pokémon meet, a cataclysmic battle will ensue. If Kyogre defeats Groudon, this entire region and all the humans within will drown in the massive flood!"

Latias smiled manically. This was the thing Mewtwo had told her about – something that can destroy a region full of people with one fell swoop.

"Only the great flood can open the Enigma Stone, and with that, our dreams will be fulfilled," Latios said. "Will you do that for me?"

"I-"

" _Latias_!"

Mewtwo, having left the cave for a while, had returned, only to see Latias apparently talking to herself. Except Mewtwo knew full well what was going on – and who she was talking with. Latias turned to wave at Mewtwo cheerfully while Latios glared.

"This is Mewtwo!" Latias told what was seemingly just air from Mewtwo's perspective. "Mewtwo, this is my brother, Latios! He has returned for one last talk with me!"

"It's no use, sis," Latios said quietly. "Mewtwo is unable to see-"

"That is not your brother!" Mewtwo said firmly. "It's a trick! They've done the same to me before."

"What are you talking about?" Latias wondered. "Bro, what is Mewtwo talk-"

"I can prove it!" Mewtwo said, its eyes suddenly glowing.

With one swipe of its hand, a psychic wave echoed throughout the cave. And just like that, dozens of small, floating Pokémon suddenly came into view. They looked like black, thin letters, all with one, lidless eye in the middle. Latias looked around her wildly.

"Latios, what are those?!" she wondered.

"They're Unown," Mewtwo explained. "And _that_ ," Mewtwo pointed at the shape of Latios, which it could now see, "is _not_ Latios."

"That's an impressive trick, Mewtwo," Latios said evenly. "Even more impressive is how _you_ stayed out of my sight for so... ah, of course." Latios tilted his head. "You used the necklace. I don't see it now, though."

"And you'll never find it," Mewtwo assured.

"Am I to take that you don't wish to follow you destiny anymore?" Latios asked innocently. "I seem to remember promising you untold power and a chance to subdue the human race."

"Yeah, I don't care about that anymore," Mewtwo said. "Especially since you seem to be good buddies with the man whose actions brought me into this world in the first place. Are you the one?"

Mewtwo's hand glowed blue, the veins on his forehead growing bigger while psychic energy was pumped into its head through the tube on its neck. Latias stared at the events in shock while Latios observed calmly.

"Are _you_ behind my creation?" Mewtwo asked shakily. "You are the one I have to ask my questions from?"

"Ask away," Latios said, "what kind of benevolent guardian would I be if-"

Mewtwo fired a Shadow Ball attack at Latios, but the black sphere of sizzling energy only went through it, blowing up a new hole in the ceiling instead, sending rubble flying everywhere. Mewtwo didn't seem too surprised by this turn of events, though.

"It was worth a try," it remarked.

"Latias!" Latios said quickly, turning to face her. "The Soul Dew – I didn't want to get your hopes up too high, but it may hold the power to restore me back to life-"

"It's lying!" Mewtwo shouted. "It doesn't have the power to do that!"

"Activate the Soul Dew!" Latios said. "It's what your brother would have wanted."

"That's not true!" Mewtwo insisted. "It's using us both!"

Latias kept looking between Mewtwo and Latios uncertainly.

"Latias, listen to me," Latios said. "It's true – I am not your brother, but I'm using his form to relay a message from him. It's me – your friend, your benefactor, the one who you have to thank for setting you free. Everything I said is according to his will-"

"It's another trick!" Mewtwo said. "Latias, you have to stop this!"

"Mewtwo used to be loyal to me, to our cause," Latios continued quickly, "but it has betrayed us all. It stands with the humans now. Because of their manipulations, because of that little girl those scientists let die, it's willing to throw away our dream just to save them, the unworthy ones. You have to stop Mewtwo, Latias, you have to-"

Mewtwo concentrated all of its psychic energy into one shock wave and release it throughout the cave. The "Latios" disappeared in a puff of smoke while the Unown floating around them were sucked into their dimension.

"Listen, Latias," Mewtwo said quietly when Latias kept on staring at the spot her 'brother' had disappeared from. "It wasn't really him – it was just an illus-"

Latias, however, wasn't going to listen. Letting out an insanely loud shriek of pure, insane mix of agony and rage, black and purple circles spreading from its body and all over the cave. Mewtwo had no time to dodge as it was hit by the horrible aura imbued with dark thoughts and knocked backwards, the Dark Pulse attack tearing the cave apart and making it collapse while Latias screamed on.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Stern's Shipyard, Slateport City, Hoenn** _

"You want to stay to _what_?!"

"You want to _what_ to study?!"

"I've made up my mind," Iris told Kris and May, crossing her arms. "I told you before, Kris – I came to Hoenn with you to learn. And with professor Ivy," Iris nodded in the professor's direction, Kris giving her an awkward wave, "I can achieve that."

"B-but... where will you sleep?" Kris wondered. "What will you eat? What will you _do_?!"

"Everything has been arranged," professor Ivy promised. "Iris can sleep at one of the city's many hotels and will be taken care of during her stay here. In return, she can help us with her research, her Pokémon will be of good use and she'll do some work for us any way she can."

"Plus," piped in Captain Stern, who had cheerfully accepted Iris' request for work, "if Team Aqua decides to return, she has experience fighting them, and I'll feel a lot safer with Iris around."

"Come on, you're embarrassing me," Iris giggled. "Really, I need to train my Pokémon a _lot_ more if I want to take on those Aquas. I just want to know me and my Pokémon can be of use and help people."

Kris was reminded of something when Iris said that, but this was no time for a flashback. Instead, Kris was overwhelmed by an odd, empty feeling. She thought back to her and Iris' adventure at the Ruins of Alph, Iris staying at her house in preparation for the Silver Conference, all that time spent together on the ship...

 _But she has made up her mind – and you gotta appreciate that stubbornness_.

"I'll miss you," Kris muttered at Iris awkwardly.

"Ah, shucks, you don't have to say anything," Iris said. "Really, we still have a good two months before the Hoenn League starts. You can visit me here once you have those last two badges, right? And then we'll challenge the Hoenn League together!"

May sniffed. Then, without warning, she tackled Iris in a hug that confused but still pleased Iris, who patted May on the back awkwardly.

"Until we meet again, Iris!" May said, trying to keep herself strong. "You've taught me more than anyone else could!"

"I'm standing right here," Kris muttered.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Verdanturf Town Contest Hall, Hoenn, a few hours later** _

Lyra's Pokémon had impressed the small-town Coordinators of Verdanturf, Lyra having earned a Normal Rank Ribbon in every single category. Brendan had never felt as excited and jealous at the same time. Posing with Scorch, her Typhlosion, Lyra was being interviewed by Hoenn TV reporter Gabby, her trusty cameraman Ty filming the event. Brendan, who was also hanging at the Contest Hall, took it to himself to 'accidentally' walk past the shot, his ribbon-adorned Pokémon in full view until Ty told him to stop.

After the interview was over, Lyra went happily to chatting with Brendan in all modesty, knowing that a measly string of Normal Rank victories wouldn't do much to her popularity – Gabby had already recognized Lyra as one of the semi-finalists of the Silver Conference.

"I want to make an impact here in Hoenn," Lyra told Brendan. "Something to make sure people remember my name once I enter the League."

"You want to come with me to Fallarbor Town?" Brendan suggested. "I'm going to enter the Super Rank Contest!"

"Mmmnah," Lyra pondered. "Contests are fun, but I think I'm done for a while. Don't you have that other friend to travel with? That girl you talked about? Okay, I get it!" Lyra added when Brendan was reduced to stammering and sputtering indignantly.

Suddenly, Lyra was tapped on the shoulder. Looking behind her, Lyra spotted a man with dark blonde hair and golden brown eyes wearing a blue coat greet her enthusiastically.

"Lyra!" Wes exclaimed. "What a surprise to see you here!"

"Oh, hey, um... you!" Lyra said. "We met at the Silver Conference! Sorry, I didn't bother to remember your name."

"Wha... um, it's Wes. What a coincidence to see you in Hoenn!"

"Well, how could I not?" Lyra asked cheerfully and patted her Typhlosion affectionately. "My Pokémon and me need new challenges! I was just wondering about the best way to do that!"

"Pokémon Contests, of course!" Brendan argued. "Hi there, sir," he greeted Wes. "My name's Brendan – are you looking for talent, too?"

"Um, no, just saying hello to my friend Lyra here, Brandon," Wes muttered and ignored Brendan for now. "Do you have anything in mind, Lyra?"

"Well, maybe challenging more gyms... I already have eight badges, but a few more couldn't hurt-"

"Or," Wes suggested slyly, "you could make a name for yourselves through showing this region how it's done. You have experience fighting teams of villains with poor fashion sense, right?"

"Yup!" Lyra said proudly. "I struck fear in the hearts of Team Rocket back at the Ilex Forest!"

"Well, then, the best way to make this region appreciate you is to do something to the Team Whatever infestation they've had lately. You know, all those Magmas and Aquas... I'd recommend you head out to the Weather Institute. It's in the north, near Fortree City. I have a feeling something will go down there soon..."


	6. Spore of Darkrai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Kris makes her way north with May, Wes is making a deal with the smooth-talking Cheren to help Kris and Lyra out in their adventures for an unknown purpose.

**Chapter Six: _S_ _pore_ _of Darkrai_**

_**Location: Mt. Chimney, Hoenn** _

Lance and his Dragonite had landed on the volcano near Lavaridge Town. He had caught word that Team Magma were about to attempt to use their stolen meteorite to force the volcano to erupt or something dumb like that. Lance didn't particularly care – he wanted the two groups plaguing Hoenn to stop their stupid crap and he was prepared to do blow them up if that was required to let the lesson sink in.

But as he arrived, Lance was quick to spot that someone, or rather, some _thing_ had done his job for him. There were signs of conflict everywhere, explosions having torn the place apart, blood having spilled all over the place and plenty of Team Magma grunts and their Pokémon lying about. Some were nearly dead – the rest were very _actually_ dead, along with some Poochyena, Mightyena, Numel and a single Camerupt.

As Lance walked through the desolation, he spotted movement near the Camerupt. Moving briskly but keeping his face calm and stoic, he walked to the other side of the massive Camerupt, noticing a man with a red mullet clutch to his many wounds and attempt to drag himself up. Lance felt no empathy, no sorrow over what had happened, just crouched next to the man, his face as blank as always.

"Maxie," Lance muttered. "The leader of Team Magma. You know, you'd be more useful to me alive, but I doubt help will reach you in time."

A drip of blood running down his chin, Maxie used all his energy to turn himself on his back, able to look at Lance, seeing him as he was watching him through fog. Weakly, he raised his arm towards him, Lance just staring at him and wondering what the point of the gesture was.

"...listen," Maxie muttered weakly. "...Aqua... they..."

"Just because you're slowly bleeding out doesn't excuse poor grammar," Lance said mercilessly. "Talk properly, please. Did Team Aqua do this? Another stupid turf war between you two crazies?"

"...no... I think not," Maxie said hoarsely. "...something they sent. A Pokémon... powerful... _too_ powerful... took the... the..."

"What?" Lance asked and grabbed Maxie by the collar of his shirt. "What did that Pokémon want from you?"

"Orb..." Maxie muttered. "Tabitha... betrayed... it has the orb..."

Then, Maxie started coughing blood, some of it getting on Lance's face. After a coughing fit, Maxie's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed on the ground, limp and motionless. Before he had time to consider Maxie's needlessly cryptic last words, his Xtransceiver rang. As he only used it for certain situations, he had a good idea who it was.

"Talk to me," Lance said flatly as he answered the call.

" _Hello, Laa-aance~_ " a cheerful voice on the other end sang.

"Wallace," Lance grumbled. "Thank goodness it's a secure line, you shouldn't just blurt my name out like that. If this is about your Luvdisc again, I'm not listening."

" _Well, all right_ ," Wallace said, sounding like he was pouting. " _But I_ _just called you to ask your opinion on something. I think the Wise Trio need a new name, but the Wise 'Duo' just doesn't sound right_."

"What are you talking about?"

" _Hm? Oh, right, you hadn't heard._ _Turns out Sage Broderick was visitin_ _g_ _Hoenn for some reason. He found some nice ruins_ _at the desert around Route 111, and some writing related to that fancy little thing Stevie boy is searching_."

"The Enigma Stone," Lance muttered. "Wait... Broderick, is he-"

" _Yup, old Brody bit the dust._ _Strangest thing, too – it's like_ _he just-_ "

"Exploded?"

" _Yeah, how'd you know_?"

"I'm at Mt. Chimney, and I see some other people got the same treatment. Namely most of Team Magma's finest, Maxie included, it seems. It looks like they're finished, but I doubt Team Aqua could pull something like this off."

" _I think_ _our bearded buddy Brody got blown_ _to bits_ _because of what he_ _found, but why do that to_ _Team Magma_?"

"I have an idea, but I have to ask Steven first. Can you contact him?"

" _I'll try, but he can be such a lazy bum sometimes._ _That is, if he's not ill again. Did you hear_ _he had to be saved by a bunch of kids a while back? Well, teens, but who cares._ "

"No, I didn't. But if Sage Broderick is dead, that means whatever is behind this might be gunning for us next, so watch yourself – and tell Steven to call me!"

" _Will dooo-ooo~"_ Wallace crooned. " _Sounds like you have a plan_."

"It's a long shot," Lance grumbled. "And it means having to do stuff I don't want to – but it looks like we don't have much time."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Fallarbor Town Contest Hall, Hoenn** _

" _Kris' log, day 2_ _0_ _in Hoenn._ _Well, it's been two weeks since me and May left Slateport City. While I miss Iris,_ _I can't help but to_ _feel proud that May is actually listening to me and heeding my advice. We both got a badge at the Mauville Gym,_ _mostly because Wattson had been hospitalized_ _for unknown reasons, so we fought some sn_ _iveling_ _punk who had taken over the gym for him – we both got a badge there_."

" _Then it was off to Lavaridge Town._ _Despite our training at Mt. Chimney and the Jagged Pass, the heat of the gym was a little too much for me,_ _yet May persevered and took on Flannery, getting her fourth badge._ _Seriously, that girl freaks me out._ _At least she's not flipping her snot_ _when a battle isn't going so well – though she did get us kicked out of the hot springs because of an incident. No, it's not what you think, you hypothetical deviant who might some day come across this journal –_ _we didn't even get in because May insisted on swimming au naturel, as the Kalosians say, which was apparently a hygiene issue_."

" _Who knows what she thinks."_

" _So, after an exhausting_ _trip through the desert which took_ days _(seriously, they send_ kids _to walk through that desert, what the eff?)_ _we have finally arrived in Fallarbor Town. I'm here to see the Meteor Falls, but I have no idea why May was so eager to come here. She wanted to stay in the Contest Hall for a while, so here I am – oh, and now my PokéGear is ringing. It rang once, twice, thrice – I should probably_ _stop writing and pick up the phone, because_ _I'm getting strange looks._ "

Kris put her journal away and grabbed the PokéGear from her pocket, too lazy to even look at the caller id.

"Hello?" Kris said in a rude tone. "What is it?"

" _Um, ah, yes, hello_ ," replied a slightly nasal, quiet voice on the other end. " _Am I speaking to Kris from New Bark Town?_ "

"Professor Elm!" Kris explained, a grin slowly appearing on her face as she recognized the voice. "It's been... gosh, I mean... wow, it's so good to hear from you!"

" _Er, likewise,_ _Kris, yes, very good_ ," Elm stuttered in his usual way. " _I know you and Iris talked about going to_ _Hoenn before leaving Johto and I received a call from her a few days ago – it seems like she's adjusting well to life at the Shipyard_."

"Of course she has," Kris smiled. "So you called me to catch up?"

" _In a sense, yes, but_ _I actually have some new information for you. Do you remember – oh, uh, poor choice of words, sorry, I'm sure you remember the Masked Man_."

Kris winced and didn't reply, but felt a chilling sensation in her back just thinking about him.

" _Even though he's no longer a threat,_ _I have gathered data on him. Leaf and Silver have been very helpful t-_ "

"Silver," Kris interjected in a deadpan voice. " _The_ Silver. _Helpful_."

Kris rubbed her throat, another painful memory coming back. Yes, Silver had helped Kris fighting Neo Team Rocket and apparently had helped Lyra and Kurt protect Celebi from their goons, but her forgiveness was something he had to earn the hard way.

" _I know your opinion of him, but he does feel like a changed man. He actually offered to return the Pokémon he_ _stole_ _, but seeing as it is a Meganium now and that it actually seems pleased to travel with him, I dropped the issue._ "

"Yeah, great, but he doesn't seem intent on returning the Sneasel," Kris muttered. "I mean, I had to return Shuckle to that guy, so what gives?"

" _Anyway,_ _we've uncovered some, um, unsavory things about the Masked – um, Pryce._ _As you may recall,_ _he spent countless years traveling around Johto, Kanto and the Sevii Islands, kidnapping_ _children, some whom he returned after a short while and others who had to stay for years, some who are_ still _missing._ "

Kris nodded solemnly, then realized she was on the phone.

" _At first we believed his targets were orphans, mistreated children and runaways, but_ _we have_ _narrowed things down even more We believe it has something to do with what is called the 'spore of Darkrai'_."

Kris didn't have to rake her mind much. The Silver Conference, four months ago, former gym leader and current criminal on the run Janine had mentioned it, and her words had stayed with Kris for a long time, even if she had no idea what they meant.

" _Well, it has some alternate names too, like the 'dark spore' and-_ "

**~o~O~o~**

"-seed of Darkrai," Wes mumbled to himself as he read the documents he had gathered. "I know I've heard that name before..."

Wes was in Lilycove City, having went straight there after escorting Lyra to the Weather Institute as promised. At the moment, he was sitting in the luxurious waiting room of the Pokémon Association's Hoenn HQ, relaxed on the couch, feet on the table and hand rummaging through the bowl of hard candy left for the visitors. It was time for him to meet his 'mysterious benefactor', or as Wes liked to call him, 'that annoying titbag who kept telling him what to do'. Wes had tried gathering info on him, but came up short, as the only thing he had to work with was his first name, and Wes was sure that 'Cheren' was faker than Gonzap's pecs.

 _I wish there was someone around to get that_.

He didn't have to wait for long, though, as an assistant came to the waiting room, informing Wes that Cheren would see him now. Grabbing the documents with him and stuffing his pockets full of candy, Wes marched straight into his office.

Cheren turned out to be a young, bespectacled, dark-haired man, probably around Wes' age, wearing a suit with a blue jacket. He was waiting for Wes in a luxurious office with a mahogany desk, panoramic window, statues and paintings of legendary Pokémon about and comfy leather chairs and sofas scattered around for no particular reason. Cheren himself sat behind his desk, his feet on the table and a pile of papers on his lap, occasionally taking a break from his 'hard work' to take a sip from the martini glass he held precariously in his other hand.

 _I want to punch him so much_.

"Wesley, my friend!" Cheren greeted jovially, though he couldn't be arsed to get off his chair. "It's so good to meet you at last! Have a seat! Care for a drink?"

"No, I'm fine," Wes grumbled as he sat on the comfy leather chair by Cheren's desk. "Oh, wow, this is pretty nice," Wes remarked and stroked the chair's armrests, but was quickly snapped out of it. "Look, I only came here to-"

"Shushushush!" Cheren hissed suddenly and grabbed a remote from the table, pointing it at the extravagant TV hanging from the wall. "It's time for the news! We'll watch them and _then_ get to business"

"I really don't care," Wes muttered. "It's gonna be all 'everything is horrible' again..."

"Trust me," Cheren said pointedly, "you'll want to watch this broadcast."

Wes threw his hands in the air and leaned back on his chair to watch as Cheren turned the TV on. For now, a reporter was interviewing some business person in Sinnoh who had blue, spiky hair. He didn't show much emotion on his face, but had a voice that made you listen.

" _..._ _Galaxy Incorporated has further plans for expansion. We have opened a new building in Eterna City and_ _expanded our headquarters at Veilstone City. We will feverishly continue to develop alternate energy sources thanks to madam Sird's generous donations_."

" _Thank you_ ," the reporter said. " _That was Cyrus, CEO of Galaxy Incorporated. Back to you in the studio_."

"Is this what you wanted me to see?" Wes wondered, but Cheren just put his finger on his lips and pointed at the screen. Wes sighed, but continued to watch.

" _Also, breaking news from the crisis at the Weather Institute-"_

Wes leaned forward, frowning at the TV at the place being mentioned.

" _-it seems the crisis turned out to be an attack by a band of unidentified criminals._ _The crisis was solved before police even had to be involved, however, as Pokémon Trainer Lyra from New Bark Town had been staying at the Institute for several days._ _Apparently experienced in fighting crime, the young Pokémon Trainer and her Typhlosion rescued the employees and their experimental Pokémon Castform, defeating the criminals and keeping them locked up long enough for the police_ _to arrive_."

" _I was just lucky to be there_ ," said Lyra, the screen now showing her and Scorch in full view. " _Pokémon Trainers don't just obsess over the strength of themselves and their Pokémon, we exist to help the people – really, I just did what anyone else in my place would have done. Admittedly, I probably did a lot better, but still_ -"

Cheren turned the TV off, while Wes turned to stare at him with his mouth open.

"You didn't..." he muttered.

"Yeah, those 'unidentified criminals' were your pals from Team Aqua," Cheren said cheerfully. "I guess _someone_ leaked them information about the Weather Institute having what they needed... _after_ you made sure our friend from Johto got there. Good timing, huh?"

"And you happened to know the exact time they were telling about it on the news?" Wes asked incredulously.

Cheren just cocked an eyebrow at Wes and smiled obnoxiously. Wes couldn't help but to smile, too, though his was lacking in any real joy or amusement.

"Okay, I get what I'm dealing with," Wes said. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, but..."

"Yes, and you need to continue doing it," Cheren said bluntly, still smiling. "You heard the news – 'unidentified' criminals. Someone from Team Aqua is still influencing the media – we only captured a small number of them. They also caused grief in Slateport City not long after you left, your buddy Kris getting in the middle!"

"Kris!" Wes snapped. "Is she...?"

Wes could read the answer from the smug expression on Cheren's face and calmed down.

"Do you know what they're after?" Wes asked Cheren.

"I only have theories," Cheren said, "but I intend to gather the local gym leaders to a summit. Perhaps we'll figure something out. In the meantime, go to Mt. Pyre. I think you passed it on your way here. I want you to-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Wes said and tossed the papers he was carrying on Cheren's desk. "What about these? You promised to tell me what the haps was with that spore slash seed slash whatever thingy?"

"Eloquently put," Cheren remarked and gave a cursory glance at the papers but didn't seem too interested. "So I'm guessing you're not aware what Darkai is?"

Wes bit his lip, annoyed by Cheren's condescension, but shook his head anyway. Cheren smirked.

"Very well," he said and got up from his chair, beginning to pace around. "Darkrai is what people call a 'legendary' Pokémon. Its existence has been a topic of debate and often denied by the officials, but a persisting rumor claims it inhabits Newmoon Island off the coast of Sinnoh. Since even the most hardened sailors have no reason to get there and the island has been almost impossible to reach since it was discovered, often shrouded in an unnaturally thick fog. It is said to have the ability to torment people with nightmares."

"I bet it's fun at parties," Wes said.

"Because of the widespread belief that Darkrai is trapped on Newmoon Island, it is said that it counters this by spreading its sphere of influence by emitting spores from its body that allow it to use its powers to people hundreds, even thousands of miles away. However, other sources claim these 'spores' have beneficial traits. They are said to give the people they're infected with advantageous traits, like heightened reflexes, faster healing, being able to survive blows lethal to normal humans, that kind of thing. Nothing extraordinary, and the powers they give apparently can't be tapped into by will, but I can still think of people who'd be interested in them."

"Kris asked me about them once," Wes remembered suddenly. "Do you think-"

"Incidentally," Cheren interrupted, took a piece of paper from his drawer and planted it on his desk, "the spores are said to be one of the few things that grant protection from the mind-reading powers of _this_ little fella."

Wes looked at the paper, suddenly feeling the hair on his neck stand up. It was just a sketch of a small, black letter-shaped Pokémon with one, googly eye in the middle and no other facial features, limbs or anything else that humans and Pokémon usually had. The thing looked more alien than anything Wes had ever seen, Wes having seen these Pokémon only once in his life – an incident he would rather not go back to.

Wes still remembered seeing hundreds of those little Pokémon orbit around an enormous glowing ball of energy, all chanting their name in unison in a high-pitched voice. Flashes of the purple, hellish landscape they inhabited poured their way into Wes' mind, Wes grimacing and shaking his head at the thought.

"I'm sorry," Cheren said immediately and pulled the picture away. "I didn't know you were still-"

"I'm fine!" Wes insisted. "I just need to know if... well, I don't even know if I can trust you yet."

"I wouldn't even keep you around if you did," Cheren said breezily. "I didn't hire you for your looks, Wesley. But I'm not exactly sure what do you want me to do to win that trust – I thought we were just working towards mutually advantageous goals."

"That bit with the news, impressive as it was, seemed more like just showing off," Wes pointed out.

Cheren chuckled. "Yeah, it was partly that."

"I need something a little more concrete than that. You promised me, after all."

Cheren tapped his chin and looked contemplative, exaggeratedly so. "Oh? I don't remember making any promise."

"Don't-" Wes inhaled deep. "I help you, and in return, not only do I get paid, but you're going to help me find that sick bastard who was in charge of that Navel Rock crudstorm."

Cheren pressed his fingers together and looked at Wes, this time actually contemplating seriously. Wes stared right back at him for several seconds until Cheren nodded.

"I promise to help you with that," Cheren said quietly. "And I do remember. Trust me, if parts of the upper echelon are corrupt, I need to know exactly what they're up to. And any info we might uncover just might kick me up a rank or two..."

"Yeah, I figured," Wes grumbled when Cheren started staring at the ceiling with a devilish smirk on his face. "Well, you may be an annoying upstart, but I'd rather see you rise up this ladder than anyone else."

"Stop, you're making me blush," Cheren laughed. "Now, about Mt. Pyre..."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Meanwhile, back in Fallarbor Town...** _

"Lyra did _WHAT_?!" Kris yelled into her PokéGear, getting more strange looks from the people at the Contest Hall.

" _Yes, quite impressive, isn't it_?" Elm said proudly. " _That and the Silver Conference – oh, and all the great things you have been doing, too, of course – New Bark Town is finally getting on the map. Maybe someone will actually recognize my research too, for once..._ "

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Kris grumbled. "And all by herself?"

" _With her Pokémon, obviously, but otherwise, um, yes._ _I did hear about her trip to Hoenn. I told Iris to get in contact with her, too. I think the Weather Institute gave_ _Lyra_ _their new Pokémon as a reward._ _I thought she'd be more focused on training, but it seems like she really is getting the hang of the altruism Pokémon trainers should have_ -"

Kris made indignant hissing and sputtering sounds into the phone which finally made Elm stop praising Lyra.

" _Um, you know, I think Lyra would be happy to see you if you gave her a chance-_ "

"And _I_ think that for such a smart guy, you can be pretty dumb. She doesn't want to see me and _I_ most certainly don't want to see her! Doesn't anyone ever get that? At least she's on the other side of the region, and I'm not going anywhere near that place for a while."

" _Oh, yes,_ _where in Hoenn were you now, exactly_?"

"Fallarbor Town," Kris said and walked over to a map of the Hoenn region posted on the wall of almost every public building. "It's this dusty little village way up in the north, you can smell Mt. Chimney wherever you go. I'm _supposed_ to check out Meteor Falls, but May is taking her sweet time with something."

" _Fallarbor? Oh, um, good, very good, yes. Uh, Kris, I... well, I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but I think there's a man you should_ _meet. His name is Professor Cozmo._ "

"Okay. And?"

" _Well, he and I were colleagues once. We studied at Saffron University under Professor Oak's tutelage and were pretty,_ _um, close._ _But, well, these things occasionally blow apart and we_ _ended up drifting... he was fairly bitter when I was chosen as Johto's regional professor instead of him, so he moved to Hoenn. Still, I do recognize his work and his dedication, and he might just know about that strange writing you've been asking about._ "

"Oh... that is actually helpful! Thanks, professor!"

"Kris, come on!" May suddenly yelled, Kris finally waking back into reality. "It's starting."

Kris had no idea what 'it' was, just nodded politely before going back to her conversation.

"Well, I gotta go," she said. "If you see Blaine, tell him to keep down the crazy. And thanks for telling me about that Darkrai thing."

" _Well, I haven't seen him since you left Johto, but I'll try._ _And you're welcome._ _Take care of yourself, Kris_."

With that, Kris hung up and followed May past the Contest Hall's waiting room and to the audience's seats. Apparently May had already paid Kris' ticket for the Contest – or, to be more precise, May had stolen money from Kris' bag and _then_ paid for both of the tickets. Kris tried to grumble in protest, but May shushed her and forced her to sit down in the front row.

Kris was never much for Pokémon Contests, and seeing dolled-up Coordinators parade around their even more dolled-up Pokémon, wasting their perfectly fight-worthy move to be as flashy as possible just caused both boredom and disgust in her. Surely, the _real_ deal of Pokémon was in competitive bloodsports and beating foes senseless...

_Hmm..._

Regardless, Kris would have never thought of May to be a Contest fan. And sure enough, as the duo watched Coordinators make their appeals, i.e. making the Pokémon do moves in stylish ways, she seemed barely awake, leaning against the railing between the audience and the stage.

The announcer explained this to be a 'Super Rank Beauty Contest', though that said nothing to Kris. After two appeals, it was the turn of a tall, purple-haired man in a strange green costume, whose Banette surprised everyone with an Icy Wind attack. Blowing a visible blue breeze of air from its mouth, the wind contained icy sparkles which, upon landing, immediately froze whatever they touched. As all the sparkles landed, even Kris couldn't hide her surprise when the sparkles had formed a perfect snowflake pattern all over the stage. The crowd went practically nuts and even the judges looked stunned as they gave out their scores.

"Well, that was pretty neat, I suppose," Kris acknowledged as she turned to look at May. "But why did you bring me-"

"Shh!" May hissed and pointed at the stage. "Look!"

At first, Kris had to squint to see what May was pointing at. A short boy wearing a white hat more suitable for winter walked on the stage – except as Kris looked even more closely, the boy seemed to be as old as she was, yet a few inches shorter. And did he look fabulous! He had prominent reddish-brown eyes, and Kris was sure he was wearing a little eyeliner, as well as trimmed, stylish eyebrows that made Kris ashamed of her own lack of care in that area. His black hair could be partially seen sticking from under his hat, falling carelessly on his eyes.

He was accompanied by a big, blue bird Pokémon with a long neck and a torso and wings that looked like they were made from white, fluffy clouds. The Pokémon was just as pretty as its trainer, and Kris just had to scan this one.

" _Altaria, the Humming Pokémon and the evolved form of Swablu, type Dragon and Flying. It is said to fly among the clouds and sing with its beautiful soprano voice, capable of calming any human and Pokémon and make them feel as if they're in a dream_ -"

"Aww, that's nice," Kris said.

" _-using that opportunity to its advantage, Altaria can then roast its enemy with a destructive fireball reaching a heat of five thousand degrees Celsius._ "

"You made that up," Kris told the PokéDex.

" _Username Kris is, as usual, incorrect. Behold_ ," SkrillDex informed and put up the text it had just read out loud on its screen, officially signed by the admins of the great Pokémon database.

"Well I'll be damned," Kris said. "Beautiful _and_ badass. I need to catch myself a good Pokémon like that, too. I haven't caught any good ones from Hoenn yet, you know. Any suggestions?"

" _This unit will stick to its pride instead of assisting ignorant meatbags – it advises username Kris to consult the knowledgeable, short human the unit has titled 'hedgehair'._ "

Kris sighed. "She's not here at the moment – and since when have you been able to create nicknames?"

" _A pity, as her presence and adequate knowledge would prevent username Kris from whipping out this unit even at the slightest provocation. It advises the user to open a book once or twice_."

"Ehh, shut up," Kris told the PokéDex and tossed it back in her bag.

May hadn't listened at all. She was focused on the Altaria and the Coordinator's appeal. Despite the green-suited man's impressive efforts earlier, the short, young Coordinator wasn't bothered at all. He whispered something to the Altaria, which nodded and flew up in the air. Opening its mouth, it launched a powerful stream of fire into the air.

When Kris thought this appeal was pretty mundane, the fire suddenly changed direction, Altaria's reserves being apparently bottomless as it kept using its flamethrower attack continuously. The burst of fire traveled along the path of the frozen snowflake pattern on the ground, slowly melting and evaporating it into steam. Then, Altaria stopped breathing fire and flapped its wings once in a big gesture, blowing the steam all over the field. Both the Coordinator and his Altaria were obscured by the steam for a few seconds, and when the steam finally cleared, the crowd and judges went absolutely wild. At first, Kris couldn't see why.

Then she noticed the pattern that had appeared on the sandy ground: using the water from Banette's Icy Wind, the Altaria had rearranged the snowflake pattern into an image of the Coordinator's face. Roses were tossed at him while the Coordinator posed and bowed at every possible direction, especially the judges, who stood up to make a standing ovation.

Nobody clapped harder than May, who had also stood up, applauded and whistled, half of her body dangling past the railing, as if she was trying to attract the Coordinator's attention. The Coordinator didn't seem to notice, as he just patted his Altaria affectionately (the Altaria's tongue hanging out and head hanging in exhaustion) and returned backstage with it. Oddly enough, when Kris gave her a funny look for this outburst, May blushed and started fiddling with her hair, sitting down quietly.

And just like that, everything connected in Kris' mind. The excited way May talked about heading to the Contest Hall, the look on her face when the young Coordinator did his thing, her almost endless enthusiasm about going into Fallarbor Town... yes, it all added up.

"You're..." Kris muttered.

May hung her head and blushed even more.

"...secretly a Contest fangirl!" Kris deduced, prompting May to forger about her embarrassment and glare at Kris.

When Kris still didn't seem to get it, May groaned, climbed on the railing and jumped into the field despite protests from security.

"You're not supposed to – oh, Magi-crap!" Kris grumbled and went after May.

Kris followed May as the girl ran backstage. May followed the Coordinator's tracks like a wild animal as Kris could practically swear she sniffed the air a few times. She also pursued her target single-mindedly, ignoring Kris' meager attempts to tell her to calm down.

When May crashed into the men's dressing room, Kris wondered if they could get arrested for this, but followed May anyway while covering her face with her hand, ready to turn away in case there was an invasion of naked males.

But there was only one person there, fully clothed and surrounded by his Pokémon. It was the Coordinator with the Altaria, who also had a Marshtomp, a Delcatty and a Manectric.

"I have a feeling that ribbon will be ours," the Coordinator told his Altaria. "Good job, the whole team, for a while I didn't even think it was possible to _HOLY ARCEUS MAY!_ "

"Brendan," May said through gritted teeth.

Kris watched the ensuing scene in confusion. Did May enjoy stalking and frightening helpless Coordinators?

_Hang on, Brendan... hasn't she mentioned that name before?_

"M-may," Brendan stuttered weakly. "This... oh no, tell me I didn't go to the women's dressing room by mistake again..."

May scoffed. "Is that all you have to say? We haven't seen each other in three weeks!"

"Oh, right," Brendan said awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Um... how is your quest going?"

"Well," May said tensely. "I have four badges."

Brendan nodded. "Good, good – um, oh yeah, I got past the Super Rank already, both my Delcatty and Manectric have two ribbons and I have a feeling I have the Beauty ribbon in the bag as well!"

"Um..." Kris introduced herself, causing Brendan to finally notice her. "That's a cool Altaria you've got there."

"Thanks!" Brendan said cheerfully and threw himself against the Pokémon, hugging its soft, cloud-like body. "As soon as I saw a Swablu, I thought, 'it would be a crime against beauty to not to let this majestic Pokémon compete in the Contests'. And then it _evolved_! Sooo pretty!"

"Wha – oh, right, Brendan, Kris, Kris, Brendan," May said impatiently. "So, I guess we're even, huh?" she remarked to Brendan. "And you're not quite as frail as I thought – all of your Pokémon have evolved."

Brendan just smiled proudly. May moved a bit closer to him, narrowing her eyes as she inspected Brendan up close.

"Are you wearing makeup?" she wondered, licked her thumb and tried to wipe it off Brendan's face despite the boy's resistance. "Come on, hold still, I have to get it off you!"

"Stop!" Brendan wailed pathetically, making Kris feel sorry for the boy – May was freakishly strong when she put her mind to it. "I have to be on stage again soon!"

"Well, _I_ think you looked good out there," Kris said.

"Thank you!" Brendan said pointedly. "I mean, I usually just curl my lashes, but seeing as this was the Beauty category, I thought it was only fair for my Pokémon to go all-out."

And indeed, as Brendan nodded at his Pokémon, Marshtomp, Manectric, Delcatty and Altaria posed in what was obviously a rehearsed formation, all of them with slight layers of makeup on. Manectric looked cool and aloof, Delcatty winked cutely, Altaria showed off its wings and Marshtomp just smiled cheerfully and hogged the center of the formation. May let go of Brendan and stared at his Pokémon in shock. Brendan noticed May's look and quickly stepped between her and them:

"They all agreed to this!" Brendan said hastily. "I wouldn't doll them up if they didn't want to – though I can't see why they _wouldn't_ want, of course."

"That's so cool!" Kris praised as she looked at the Pokémon pose. "You've trained them so well!"

While Brendan and his Pokémon beamed, May shot Kris a pointed glare. Kris couldn't understand why. And why was May acting like she hadn't been staring at Brendan all throughout the appeal-

_Oh. OHHH!_

"Oh!" Kris exclaimed and quickly covered her mouth.

May turned away again, blushing so much that her face almost matched her bandanna. Kris tried to suppress laughter while Brendan just looked confused, until someone stormed into the dressing room to inform that the jury had finished counting the points and all Contestants had to get on stage in two minutes. Brendan hastily withdrew his Pokémon except for Altaria, and together with the big blue bird, rushed back on stage without even a cursory glance at May.

When Kris and May were left alone, May glared at Kris, who was still covering her mouth with both of her hands to stop a burst of laughter from coming out.

" _What_?!" May snapped at her.

"Nothing," Kris snickered. "Just... wow."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you'll get big yuks out of this," May grumbled, "but I don't. I don't even know why I had to fall for a ponce like him."

Kris tried her best to cool herself down. "Um, does he know?"

"He doesn't know anything," May sighed. "And I mean that. Even though I've actually told this to him, he still doesn't get it!"

"When?"

"A few weeks after he first moved to Hoenn," May muttered. "I ran into him wearing an outfit made of grass-"

Kris wasn't even surprised.

"-and he offered to make 'proper' clothes for me," May continued. "I wouldn't care, but he did help me out with a bunch of wild Poochyena... in his own way."

"He kicked their asses?" Kris asked.

"He offered them stuff he had baked," May muttered, and Kris almost burst out laughing again. "Yeah, I know, it's embarrassing, but it worked, and after he offered to make clothes for me... well, it was just such a nice thing to do. But later, when he had finished making those clothes and I told him how I felt... in my own way-"

Kris imagined it involved violence, throwing feces at Brendan's house or both. May's expression got a lot more menacing, though.

"-he just started avoiding the issue and putting it off for so long. When we made the bet three weeks ago, we hadn't seen each other in two years. I hadn't thought about him _that_ much during that time, but when I saw him again – ugh, whatever, if he doesn't get it or if he's too much of a coward to give me a direct answer, I'm done. I'm not waiting and I'm _not_ going to cry about it!"

"I never suggested anything like that," Kris said hastily. "But... since you came all this way to see him, maybe we should take him along? I have a lead and he lives in town. He could even be of help."

"I strongly doubt that," May muttered, "but whatever, I _guess_ it's okay."

Soon afterward, Kris, May and Brendan headed for professor Cozmo's laboratory, where they met more difficulty when the professor's assistant (whose name wasn't Wanda despite Kris repeatedly asking that) told the group that he was likely at the Meteor Falls – and in fact, had been 'researching' something there for three days now. Since retrieving the professor was above the assistant's pay grade, Kris, May and Brendan had to head towards the Meteor Falls next.

This made Kris regret bringing Brendan along. For one, he kept bragging about the fancy new Normal Rank Beauty Ribbon his Altaria had won and kept showing it off to everyone. On top of that, May became pretty unbearable around him, and the bickering between the two made Kris believe she was going to pop a vein in her head soon. May had initially tried to get Brendan up to speed about what they had done so far, but when everything May had said to Brendan was prefaced with an insult or mean remark, Kris had to step in and take over.

"So what are you doing in Fallarbor, anyway?" Brendan asked May pointedly as they walked along Route 114. "There are no gyms up here, and I didn't think you had the attention span to watch a Contest all the way through."

"I only came here because Kris wanted to see the Meteor Falls!" May argued. "You should be thankful you happened to be in our way! And this is the fastest route to Petalburg City!"

"Puh... Petalburg?" Brendan stuttered. "But... why do you want to go back there?"

"I need a fifth badge! You know the gym leader there, don't you, _Brendan_?"

"I... you..."

"You're really afraid of your own dad? He's a gym leader, you know, you could actually learn a thing or two from him!"

"Shut up!" Brendan snapped.

"Yes, please," Kris grumbled.

Kris had seen the look on Brendan's face as May talked about his dad, and didn't want May to harangue him about it any longer. Kris knew all too well what hating your own family felt like, but also knew that certain things were best when said out loud.

"So, you're Norman's son, then?" Kris asked Brendan.

"Mm," Brendan said irritably.

"You don't have to answer this, but what's he like?"

"He's a mean old man who doesn't realize that times change," Brendan grumbled. "I don't care how many people admire him, he's still a big jerk. He doesn't have even the slightest understanding of Pokémon Contests, of the fantastic beauty Pokémon can display, of the feeling you get when the audience is dazzled by your radiance and-"

"Okay, I get it," Kris said. "Let's... let's just get to the falls."

But as Kris, May and Brendan climbed up the mountain and arrived to the entrance of the cave, Brendan suddenly pushed Kris and May behind a rock while hiding behind it himself, having spotted something.

"What?!" May grunted.

Brendan shushed. "See that?" he asked and pointed at the entrance.

A man in peculiar clothing stood watch at the cave's entrance. He was wearing a red uniform of some kind, his face mostly shrouded by a hood with devil horns sticking out of it. Though Kris hadn't seen that kind of uniform before, the flame emblem on the man's shirt did give a crucial clue.

"Team Magma?" Kris whispered.

Brendan nodded slightly. "I ran into some of them on my way to Fallarbor. A bunch of them were massing around Mt. Chimney."

"Must have come after we left," Kris commented.

"So what'd you do when you saw them?" May asked Brendan bitingly. "Ran away squealing and crying like a kid?"

Brendan didn't bother answering.

"I think we know why Cozmo has been gone," Kris commented. "Any ideas?" Kris asked, and when May opened her mouth, quickly added: " _Without_ alerting anyone else in the cave."

"Leave that to me!" Brendan said boisterously and suddenly stood up, leaving the hiding spot. "Back in Goldenrod, I _was_ known as 'the Charmer', after all."

"No you weren't," May deadpanned.

Brendan marched to the entrance, completely ignoring the Team Magma grunt who eyed him suspiciously but didn't leave his post. Kris and May sat quietly behind their rock and listened.

"Good afternoon," Brendan said cheerfully. "I'm here to visit the _beautiful_ Meteor Falls."

"Closed," the Magma Grunt said flatly. "Hazard. Collapse. Whatever."

"But I _really_ want to go," Brendan whined. "You see, mister, it was the fondest dream of my beloved father to once visit the Meteor Falls. He had worked hard to support me and my mother all his life, ignoring his dream for our sake, promising us he'd take us there one day."

Brendan grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and sneezed into it while sobbing theatrically.

"But fate had chosen a different path," Brendan gasped. "Years of hard labor for negligent pay caused my father to be stricken with, um... Verhoeven's syndrome. Yeah, he had that. Heard of it?"

"No."

"Well, then he had that. Anyway, on his deathbed, my father grabbed my hand, turned his foggy, bloodshot eyes at me, a faint smile on his lips, and whispered 'please, my son, fulfill my dream for me – go and see the Meteor Falls'."

Brendan ended his story with an obviously fake sniff. The Magma Grunt... laughed.

"Funny story," the grunt said. "Get!"

"Wow, not the reaction I expected," Brendan muttered, putting his hands in his pockets. "Well, I guess I have to try a different approach... take _that!"_

Grabbing a fistful of glitter from his pocket, Brendan tossed it at the grunt's eyes. As the grunt _somehow_ yelled in pain about how he was seeing nothing but brilliant sparkles, May and Kris rushed out from their hiding spot while Brendan covered the grunt's mouth with his glove. Within seconds, May had pounced on the grunt, tied him and gagged him, though she didn't seem to appreciate Brendan's strategy.

"You attacked him with _glitter_?" she said in disgust. "What kind of trainer are you?!"

"How many times do I have to say it?" Brendan groaned. "I'm a Pokémon Coordinator, and soon, the greatest Coordinator there is! And it worked, didn't it?"

"Let's just get in," Kris grumbled.

Inside the mountain, the Meteor Falls were a damp, roomy cave with a river flowing inside, several waterfalls constantly crashing down and drowning out the sounds caused by the trio's entry. The upper levels of the cave were pretty much inaccessible, but below the group, there was a bunch of Team Magma grunts, five in total. There was also a disheveled scientist with spiky brown hair in the mix, his lab coat badly torn. He seemed malnourished and defeated to the point of just sitting on the ground with his hands tied, staring blankly into nowhere.

As Kris was about to ask May and Brendan if they had any plan, she heard menacing growling from behind her. The trio turned slowly around, finding themselves face to face with a Houndoom, a Team Magma member with black hair and a heavy amount of makeup looking at them smugly while chewing gum.

"You were pretty sharp kids to get in here," she said. "If you're here for Cozmo, we can make a deal..."

Kris motioned at the others to be still.

"Yeah, yeah, you got us," she told the Magma member calmly. "What's on your mind?"

"Ms. Courtney!" yelled one of the grunts from below. "Do you need help?"

"I got this!" Courtney replied. "Well, see, we've been stuck in here for a third day in the row now. Most of our unit went to Mt. Chimney to do a little experiment with professor Cozmo's meteorite. Once we've confirmed it really works, the professor can go. Problem is, we haven't heard anything and we've been getting just a _little_ antsy. We're running out of food, too, but the boss specifically told us not to leave. We have a lot on the line here."

"Like what?"

"Team Magma is dedicated to expanding Hoenn's landmass," Courtney explained oddly politely. "I only want to make sure the boss' dream comes true – I don't really care about the specifics. So why don't _you_ three go and confirm our boss' whereabouts and we'll let ol' Cozmo go."

"Like crap we're doing that!" May yelled. "We're leaving here with the professor _now_ and you'll-"

"May!" Kris snapped and turned back to Courtney. "Sorry about that, you can just ignore her. Yeah, we can do that."

"Kris!" May protested. "We can't make deals with people like this."

"Yeah, I'm with May!" Brendan said. "I've heard enough horror stories about Team Magma."

But as Kris made eye contact with May, the latter smiled slightly, stopping her protests. Kris turned to face Courtney again, though she kept addressing May, hand slowly moving towards her waist.

"Too bad I call the shots in this group," Kris continued. "And right now, I'm telling you to... JUMP!"

Kris threw herself on the ground and quickly opened Croc's Poké Ball, sending out her trusty Feraligatr. At the same time, May jumped down the waterfall and to the lower parts of the cave, dragging the clueless Brendan with her. Courtney ordered Houndoom to use Flamethrower, but Croc was ready to block, extinguishing the flames with a Hydro Pump attack that the dark-type dodged only barely.

"Ugh," Courtney groaned. "That wasn't a very nice move."

"You've held an innocent man here against his will for days," Kris reminded. "Why do _I_ have to be nice?"

"It's for the good of all and blah," Courtney trailed off. "Really, though, we're just following orders. We're kind of like Pokémon in that regard. Houndoom, Thunder Fang!"

Houndoom's fangs glowed and yellow and sparks of electricity formed around its mouth. Before Kris could counter the move, the Houndoom had leaped on Croc and bitten its arm. Croc tried to swipe back with its claws, but Houndoom easily dodged while still biting down on the Feraligatr's arm.

"Superpower!" Kris ordered.

Once again gathering all of its energy into one punch attack, Croc took a swing at the Houndoom, but it was far too fast was the bulky water-type.

"Hold still, damn it!" Kris yelled.

"Never!" Courtney yelled back. "Dark Pulse!"

"Protect!" Kris panicked.

Meanwhile, May's Combusken and Breloom were fighting against everything the remaining five Magma Grunts attempted to throw her away – basically three Mightyena and two Golbat. Effortlessly blocking the enemies' attacks and supporting each other by switching their foes from time to time, the two fighting-types had no trouble keeping their enemies away.

Brendan used the opportunity to rush to professor Cozmo, untie him and drag him to safety, the professor being either too scared or too weakened to move on his own. Getting to cover, Brendan watched the battle. May picked up a jagged rock from the ground and actually joined the fight on her own, beating on both the enemy Pokémon and their trainers with the improvised weapon while making a shrill battle cry. Though Brendan had seen May be wild before, _this_ was completely new to him.

"Brendan!" May yelled mid-battle. "If you got the professor safe, _I could use a hand_!"

"Um... right," Brendan muttered and randomly opened one of his Poké Balls.

Brendan's Manectric came out and awaited its command, but Brendan had no idea what to do. He had sworn off battling so long ago, and even teaming up with May, the enemy still had 250% more power than they had...

May's Breloom fell to one of the Golbat using Wing Attack, but in response, May threw her rock at it, knocking it out while Combusken took care of a Mightyena.

 _200% now, I guess_.

"Brendan, hurry up!" May snarled.

"Golbat, Air Cutter!" one of the Magma Grunts ordered.

The still-remaining Golbat flapped its wings rapidly, creating a strong gust of wind with blue energy inside it. With Breloom not in the way anymore, the Air Cutter headed straight for May. Though May tried to dodge, the Air Cutter still managed to swipe past her, leaving a long cut in her cheek and smearing blood all over her shirt.

That was when things got real.

"Manectric, Discharge!" Brendan yelled.

"Combusken, Overheat!" May roared in abject rage.

Combusken's entire body glowed red as it released a burst of fire from its body at the enemies all over, while Manectric concentrated all of its power into attack, sending bolts of electricity flying in every direction. The combined attacks created a fiery explosion that knocked all of the Pokémon on the field around, the unprepared Magma Grunts getting also blasted into the river.

May was briefly knocked out by the attack, but woke up after a couple of seconds. Combusken had used all of its energy, smoke pouring out of its body as it panted, while Manectric had been knocked out by the blast just like the Pokémon the Magmas were using. It took May a moment to notice that she hadn't been affected by the blast at all, as someone had shielded her.

Brendan lay on top of her, his clothes and hat having been charred by the power of the explosion. Seeing Brendan lay motionless caused May's heart to skip a beat, but a few seconds later, Brendan was groaning and moving around. Noticing where he was, Brendan quickly jumped on his feet, only to wince afterward.

"You okay?" May asked him.

"I think so," Brendan grunted. "But my clothes are ruined..."

"Good," May said and promptly slapped Brendan across the face.

"Ow!" Brendan wailed.

"Don't do anything that stupid again," May said. "Also... thank you."

"Wha..."

"Now let's go help Kris!"

In the meantime, Courtney's Houndoom had done major damage to Kris' Pokémon. Croc had fell to the Dark Pulse, as did Chandelure, while Honchkrow didn't stand long against Houndoom's intense fire attacks. Houndoom itself didn't look worse for wear, and Kris had to resort to her last Pokémon.

Unfortunately.

"Shrew, go!"

Yes, Kris' only remaining Pokémon was her Sandshrew. To be honest, it had done well in the Silver Conference and had even proved vital distracting Mewtwo long enough for Kris to trap it in the Poké Ball. But as Shrew squealed in fear and curled itself into a ball upon seeing the Houndoom growl at it, Kris was reminded why she didn't use Shrew very often. Courtney just laughed.

"Seriously, you're this desperate?" Courtney asked mockingly. "What's the big deal anyway? Just do what we ask you to and nobody gets hurt."

Courtney pulled out a knife from her pocket so fast Kris could swear it suddenly materialized in her hand.

"Though I may have to back down on that promise," she continued menacingly. "Because you're _really_ getting on my nerves now. Why won't you make a deal?"

"Why do you even have to ask?" Kris retorted, keeping her eye on the sharp blade. "I don't see any of your flunkies coming to your aid – I guess my friends took care of them. That means Cozmo is fine, too, and you've already lost. But most importantly, _Courtney_ , we don't make _deals_ with you people. Regardless of our odds, you'll lose every single time."

Courtey smiled. "How long do you think you can hold on to those naïve beliefs?"

"Long as it takes," Kris said.

" _Well spoken, Kris!_ "

Even Courtney was briefly distracted by the strange voice that seemed to come from beneath her feet, and was forced to drop her knife as something emerged from underground: an Aggron, clutching on none other than Steven Stone, looking much healthier than before. Aggron's body became surrounded by a bluish-white aura as it charged at the surprised Houndoom, smashing the fire-type with its head and knocking it out with a single blow. Courtney recalled her Pokémon, but couldn't go anywhere as Aggron was gunning for her next.

"Even if it doesn't always work out in real life," Steven continued calmly as he glared at Courtney, "you should always try to stay true to your beliefs. Nice to see you again, Courtney."

"Likewise," Courtney grumbled.

"How do _you_ know her?" Kris wondered.

"I used to be a Coordinator," Courtney said before Steven could offer her piece. "I knew our lord and Champion Wallace before he was even a gym leader. And wherever he went, Stevie boy was always at his side."

"And then you went and joined Team Magma," Steven said. "But I guess all good things, like sanity, must come to an end."

"Joke all you want," Courtney smirked, "but our leader has a plan. Even if you defeated me here today, he will-"

"Courtney," Steven interrupted, his voice dead serious. "Your boss, Maxie, was found on Mt. Chimney earlier today. He and everyone else there was dead. I'm sorry."

Courtney frowned at Steven and laughed defiantly, almost as if wanting to make the whole thing a joke. When Steven's expression remained even, a look of horror slowly appeared on Courtney's face, all traces of her smug expression gone. Her eyes wide, Courtney just stared at Steven for the longest time, slightly shaking her head.

"But... that can't be right," she muttered. "He... Maxie will..."

"I doubt she's a threat anymore," Steven said and turned away from the utterly defeated Courtney. "Oh, your friends are coming. We should attend to the professor instead."

Kris looked back at the devastated Courtney, who had fallen on her knees and was just staring at the ground. Even after everything, Kris felt a pang of guilt just leaving her there, but didn't protest as she followed Steven out of the cave.

Together, Kris, May, Brendan and Steven returned Cozmo to his lab and got him some food and water. Sadly, he wasn't fit to give Kris any new information.

"I regret giving you the Meteor Falls hint," Steven said. "I had been looking for ways to save Cozmo without giving myself away for hours, but once again, you seemed to do my job for me. I'm sure you understand, though, that once Cozmo recovers, it will be us who will ask him what he knows first."

Kris sighed. "I guess there's no use arguing... unless you let me join-"

"No."

"Worth a shot."

"I suppose it's too late to tell you to keep your noses out of this, though," Steven mused. "Several dozen people have died already. Team Aqua might be somehow involved. So I'm willing to let you in on this a bit."

"Whoa!" Brendan exclaimed in protest. "I'm happy to help, but I don't want to end up being a permanent part of this!"

"But you will, whether you like it or not," May said.

"...damn it."

Steven gave Kris his calling card.

"Keep an eye out for Team Aqua activity," he said. "You can keep traveling like you have done so far, but remember to report everything to that number. It goes to my Xtransceiver and it can't be traced or tapped, so don't worry. Remember: call me _immediately_ if you see anything."

"Will do!" Kris promised and put the card in her pocket. "Can't you tell me anything about your next move, though? What's the LPS going to do?"

Steven opened his Poké Ball, letting his Skarmory out. The steel bird landed right next to Steven, allowing him to jump on its back with the same casual attitude most people had while mounting a bicycle.

"I'm sorry to keep you in the dark, but I'm not repeating my mistakes," Steven said simply. "Farewell for now!"

And with that, Skarmory rocketed into the air and soared into the sky.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: TV Tower, Lilycove City** _

Reporter Gabby and cameraman Ty stood before their bearded boss, Archie at the topmost floor of the TV Station, attempting to plead their case, but Archie just lounged in his chair with his feet on his desk, his shirt open casually and not exactly what one would expect from a television executive.

"The other channels will catch wind of this soon!" Gabby argued. "I don't mean to question your orders, sir-"

"And yet you're doing just that," Archie pointed out.

"We got the scoop first thanks to following that Johto girl!" Gabby said. "We have video evidence that the people in charge were Team Aqua, not 'unidentified criminals'."

"I'm sorry, but do _you_ wish to incite the attention of potentially dangerous criminals?" Archie asked. "Be happy that we got to report about this first. Besides, I have another job for you and it's related to those criminals you want to talk about so much."

Archie gave Gabby a paper with the specifics of the scoop printed on it.

"There has been reports of Team Magma activity on Mt. Chimney," Archie said. "The situation has been contained, so don't worry about any danger."

"And what about potentially inciting _them_?" Gabby asked pointedly.

Archie smiled. "You'll see when you get there. Now off you go, both of you!"

Resigned, Gabby and Ty left Archie's office. The moment they were gone, Archie closed the shutters of his office window and walked over to a nondescript piece of the wall behind crates of equipment. Moving the crates, Archie was able to pry open a hidden door in the wall and walk down a flight of stairs into a hidden room.

Three people in Team Aqua uniforms awaited him, Archie putting on the Team Aqua trademark bandanna and greeting his minions, Shelly, Tabitha and Lunick, warmly.

"Sorry for the delay," Archie smirked as he sat on the chair reserved for him. "Right off the bat, big thanks to Tabitha for successfully carrying out both operations. I have good news for you: Maxie is dead."

Tabitha grinned, Shelly applauded with her face bright, while Lunick didn't seem to care, he just sat on the floor and looked like he was meditating.

"Clearly, you chose the right side, Tabitha," Archie praised, while Tabitha just smirked proudly. "Unfortunately, the great book on the art of war is pretty clear... traitors and double agents aren't people you want around you. Sorry, but I want you gone."

Even the big, brawny Tabitha looked like he was about to soil himself as Archie pulled a revolver on him. Smiling nonchalantly, Archie aimed at him and pulled the trigger.

Tabitha squealed in terror while Shelly backed away, but nothing happened. The revolver mainly fired a scroll of paper that hit Tabitha's face harmlessly. Hand shaking, Tabitha opened the scroll and started reading.

"Your instructions," Archie said pleasantly. "I want you to lay low in Slateport City and make sure our operation succeeds. Now get going."

At first, Tabitha just stared at his boss, but as Archie raised an eyebrow at him, he quickly scrambled on his feet and ran out of the room as Archie's raspy laughter filled the room.

"Ohh, I love that trick," Archie said as he wiped his eyes. "Now, Shelly, Lunick, I want to discuss something with you. It seems your attempt to seize the parts from Captain Stern at Slateport City failed because...?"

"It was that bird who won't leave us alone, guvna!" Shelly protested. "Really, you shouldna left a dodgy little gobber like Lunick there to handle it, sir!"

"If anything, I'd say our mission failed because of the inadequate training the grunts had received," Lunick said calmly, still meditating on the floor with his eyes closed. "Tell me, Shelly, who was in charge of their training again?"

"You 'avin a giggle there, mate?!" Shelly snapped at Lunick. "Sir, we don't need-"

"Shelly, my dear, I was just about to _praise_ Lunick for his quick thinking, actually," Archie said smoothly. "His method of disguising our soldiers as the museum's security was ingenious, and we can exploit it again once the first stage of our plan is complete. Adding his consistent victories against Team Magma to that, and I suppose we can overlook this little slip-up. If anything, our new plan is _far_ superior. Lunick, you are excused – go to Lilycove and round up all of our members. It's time to prepare them for our moment of triumph!"

"Yes, sir," Lunick said, stood up and bowed.

Before he left, however, he turned to look at Archie.

"I need you to clarify one thing, though," Lunick told him. "You're... you're sure that without Team Magma in the way, our plan can succeed?"

"Is there something troubling you?" Archie asked.

Lunick bit his lip. "Over two thirds of Team Magma has been destroyed. You convinced me that they were people who had squandered their chances of living, but... I wonder if the price was too much."

"Lunick, dear boy," Archie said pleasantly. "Don't bother yourself with things like that. The world will return to its natural state soon enough – I promised you, after all."

Lunick stared at Archie for a while, but eventually nodded hesitantly and walked away. Next, Archie addressed Shelly.

"We need someone like him to boost our troops' morale," he explained to her. "With him and that powerful Pokémon doing our bidding, we absolutely can't lose. You understand?"

Shelly nodded, and Archie smiled.

"Good girl," he smirked and leaned back on his chair, staring at the ceiling with a content look on his face. "Ah, Maxie. You were always so superior, but at the first sign of defeat, got desperate and paid the price. I wanted to snap his neck myself... but I suppose I should show more gratitude towards our Eon beast."

"What about the orders from the big knobs, sir?" Shelly asked. "We were supposed to catch that little bugger – and lord Cyrus isn't gonna appreciate this."

"Oh, I have _far_ better use for it, dear Shelly," Archie said. "I want Cyrus to know he can't boss us around anymore. I want to see him grovel at my feet. And I want _you_... to get to Mt. Pyre, and make it snappy!"

Shelly saluted. "Sir!"

As soon as Archie was alone, he started chuckling to himself again. He grabbed a blue and white Poké Ball marked with an 'M' symbol from his pocket and started caressing it.

"I _want_... I want everything," he muttered to himself. "I want absolute control. I want my faithful army at my side. And I want you..." Archie lifted the Master Ball into the air, imagining what it would look like when the Pokémon of his dreams was finally sucked in. "...Rayquaza!"


	7. A Good Father?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kris, May and Brendan arrive to Petalburg City, where Brendan's choice of career as Coordinator clashes with his uncompromising Gym Leader father. Meanwhile, Wes meets an old friend on Mt. Pyre.

**Chapter Seven: _A Good Father?_**

_**Location: Four Island, Sevii Islands** _

_**A year earlier...** _

Yellow's green eyes opened slowly to an odd sight. Washed up on the shores of Four Island, Yellow was staring right at the face of their savior.

"You idiot!"

That was the first thing Wes yelled at Yellow, who merely answered with a weak smile.

"What _exactly_ was your plan?" Wes wondered, his voice quivering as he stared down at Yellow. "Pass out, float to Hoenn and wait for all this to blow over?"

"Something like that," Yellow muttered and squinted. "You... you came..."

"Phrasing!"

"...to help me... right?"

"I guess I did," Wes grumbled. "Even though you told me not to. That's just the kind of guy I am."

Soon enough, Wes and Yellow retreated into a seaside cave, away from the eyes of everyone barring a few curious Krabby walking aimlessly around the shore. Wes had his Ninetales make a fire and then curl around Yellow to keep the soaked little blonde warm.

After Wes endured the longest uncomfortable silence in his life, something he usually had a habit of breaking with a stupid comment, he decided to finally speak up, noticing how pale and thin Yellow was looking.

"Um," he began. "I don't know if I thanked you yet."

"For saving your life?" Yellow asked nonchalantly. "It's all right, you're welcome."

Before Wes could get over how much it sounded like Yellow did that on a daily basis, they suddenly spoke up.

"How long has it been?" Yellow asked calmly.

Wes bit his lip. "Seven hours. I... Navel Rock is a pile of rubble now and their boats and helicopters keep circling around. People think you're dead. I mean, even I... how did you make it out ali... Yellow."

"Hm?"

"Your nose is bleeding..."

Yellow noticed the little trail of dark red liquid touch their upper lip, but reacted just by wiping it swiftly with their sleeve and continuing on.

"Oh, yes, never mind that," Yellow said hastily, "and I already told you back there not to worry about me, so-"

"Never mind that?!" Wes repeated incredulously. "You just used some kind of freaky hoodoo wizardry magics stuff to save everyone and almost drowned, I would be a little more concerned if-"

Yellow stood up quickly and interrupted Wes – then realized it was a bad call. Yellow closed their eyes and held their head as they started to sway, Wes catching Yellow moments before they fell and hit their head on a rock. But as Wes tried to ask what was wrong, Yellow just pushed him aside and rubbed their eyes.

"Thanks," Yellow muttered. "Seriously, don't worry about it – I'd rather you think about the promise you gave me back there."

Wes remembered – it was all he had thought about during his search for Yellow. With the wispy little runt in the straw hat proven to be alive, everything Wes had pushed to the back of his mind rushed back in.

"Everything that happened down there," Wes said slowly as he sat down again to rack his brain, "happened because of some monstrosity from another dimension. A Pokémon? Gyro... Ghiruh..."

"It's pronounced-" Yellow started, then looked contemplative and rubbed their chin. "Um... Guh..."

"That _thing_ ," Wes said impatiently. "It caused the deaths of dozens of good people and Pokémon, opened a potentially dangerous dimensional rift and got me straddled wit this little priceless paperweight."

Wes took something out of his bag: an octagonal, gold-colored jewel about the size of a tennis ball. It continued to emit a bright, golden light, as if there was a light bulb inside.

"Please find a safe place for it as soon as you can," Yellow reminded.

"I will," Wes said carelessly and shoved into the many pockets of his brand new blue coat, his last one ending up as shreds in a parallel dimension – as usual. "That's not what worries me here. This thing is one of the most powerful Pokémon ever and commands a vast army of things similar to the ones we saw down there. It's kind of annoyed with humans and Pokémon alike, wants to come back and can potentially worm its way into your thoughts."

"Yes to all," Yellow said simply.

"You want _me_ ," Wes said slowly, "to traipse around the country looking for this girl who _might_ be unaffected by this beast's mental manipulation-"

"Might be, yes."

Wes stared at Yellow.

"You're insane," he just said.

"If you don't want to do this, I understand," Yellow said tonelessly. "I would then appreciate if you handed me back the Griseous Orb."

"I didn't say that's a bad thing," Wes smiled. "And I don't back down on my promises – often."

"Do you believe in it, then?" Yellow asked.

Wes thought about the answer for a while. "I believe that you believe it."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Mt. Pyre, Hoenn** _

_**Present day** _

Mt. Pyre was an extinct volcano in east Hoenn, near the capital city Lilycove. Whereas the Cave of Origin in Sootopolis was considered to be where life began in Hoenn in ancient times, Mt. Pyre was thought to represent where it ended. Indeed, it was the home of numerous temples and especially grave sites for people and Pokémon alike.

Some particularly diligent people inhabited the surprisingly green summit area of the mountain, some of them maintaining the temples, shrines and grave sites. There was a specific shrine dedicated to the legendary Pokémon of Hoenn said to be responsible for creating the continents, the oceans and the sky.

Wes was slowly ascending the stairs leading to the highest point of Mt. Pyre where the shrine could be found. The terrain and thin air were not something he was used to, which contributed to the slowness, but he also had to escort an old woman up the stairs as well, holding her by the arm as she talked on and on to him, often insisting that she walked these stairs twice every day and didn't need no help from some arrogant young whippersnapper from way across the sea.

"I believe you, ma'am," Wes said good-naturedly between some heavy breathing. "You coould probably scale this mountain in half the time I could."

"Don't get cocky with me, sonny," the old woman said. "Only a few more steps – you know, you should really take care of yourself better, a young man like you. Why, when I was your age I could have climbed these steps with one leg, both hands tied behind my back and a Geodude sitting on my head, I tell you that."

"What other kind of people would want to live in a place like this?" Wes muttered to himself.

Finally, the two made it to the shrine, where two people waited. One was an old man who waved his hand warmly at the approaching duo, while the other was a familiar small figure with blonde hair and a big straw hat, both having knelt in front of the shrine decorated with stone carvings of three nasty-looking Pokémon.

"Yellow!" Wes exclaimed.

Yellow didn't seem to be surprised to see Wes – they just stopped their meditation and slowly turned around to smile at Wes serenely. Wes was happy to see Yellow at a much healthier state than during their last encounter.

"Your friend has amazing intuition," the old man sitting next to Yellow praised, smiling at Wes and moving a bit to the right so the old woman Wes had escorted up could sit between him and Yellow. "Young Yellow here managed to tell you were coming and warn us ahead of time. Are you..." the old man frowned at Wes. "... a detective of some sort? You look more like an early 20th-century alchemist..."

"I'm a private investigator," Wes replied immediately, thought about it for a while, then added: "I think. Tell me what happened here."

"Gaze upon this," the old woman said and motioned at something at the bottom of the shrine.

Wes noticed it was a pretty blue orb about the size of an orange, resting in a slot apparently carved specifically for it, emitting a subtle glow. Wes had bad experiences with glowy things, but as Yellow was sitting right there, Wes decided not to worry about it for now. There was another slot that was the same size and shape right next to the blue ball, so even Wes could decipher what was going on.

"You still haven't collected the set?" he asked.

"It was stolen from us," the old woman lamented. "The Red Orb was taken by people in red uniforms who had a lot of Fire-types with them."

"Why?" Wes wondered.

The old man shook his head. "But whatever reason they had, their leader, a pale, gaunt man with long red hair, had an almost reverent look in his eyes as his underling passed the Red Orb to him. There was nothing we could do. And it looks like you all are paying the price for their greed – and our incompetence."

"Hey, whoa, settle down!" Wes said quickly. "If you did what I assumed, that is, you handed the orb over quietly or hid behind a rock while they came, then you did the right thing. No one should attempt to deal with those psychos."

"We should have secured the orbs better," the old woman said, hanging her head in shame. "Now they're gone and used for nefarious purposes – the Gods will not look kindly to this."

Wes sighed. "So, um, before I ask you my questions, is there something you want me to do?" he asked. "You know, grab the remaining orb with me, keep it safe with me, beat the bad guys and get the other one back before tea time?"

"Goodness, no!" the old woman scoffed. "The Blue Orb stays here – we already hired security to make sure the holy object stays untouched."

"Some kind of elite guard unit?" Wes wondered.

"Of sorts," the old woman said with a sly smile.

Before Wes could go into his questions, Yellow cleared their throat and stood up. Wes immediately focused his attention on them.

"I already asked a few questions, actually," Yellow said, "and I'd like to go them over with you. I need to talk about something with you anyways. You can ask your questions after."

Wes shrugged and followed Yellow down the steps to a more private location. As he carefully descended the stairs, he kept wondering how exactly Yellow knew Wes was coming – especially since it was Cheren who told Wes to come here in the first place.

Unless...

**~o~O~o~**

" _Kris' log, day 30 in Hoenn._ _A month has passed, and though I've seen more of Hoenn than I ever cared to,_ _I'm still not much closer to_ _figuring out this whole secret behind being a Pokémon trainer, and though I've tried pumping every last drop of information from professor Cozmo back in Fallarbor,_ _it seemed someone already sucked him dry and that left me with bugger all."_

" _After Brendan dawdled around Fallarbor for two days to win all the ribbons he coul_ _d, we could finally leave towards Petalburg. Or we could have, if we hadn't taken a wrong turn at Meteor Falls and ended up wandering the wilderness for three more days._ _For a while I had the pleasure of living in the sweet false hope that May and Brendan had finally learned to treat each other with civility, but after our little detour, well..."_

"Well I don't see you volunteering to lead us!" May snapped.

"You're always bragging about your sense of direction!" Brendan complained. "I'm not used to places without road signs and 24/7 internet cafés!"

"You could have at least told me how to read the map since you're so civilized and all!"

"The key is right there! At the bottom! The Poké Ball symbols mean Pokémon Centers, not humongous Poké Ball -shaped rocks blocking the way!"

"Well I know that _now_!"

" _You can imagine how fun it's been, listening to this for over a week._ _Anyway, we finally made it to Rustboro, but these two keep sweating over some 'deadline' and we still have at least a day's worth of walking left to do to get to Petalburg._ "

Currently, the group was walking past Route 104, but had to take a break at the side of the road for the third time due to Brendan having a tiny pebble in his shoe. May took the opportunity to feed her Combusken, Breloom and Shuppet, having caught the latter during the freaky detour.

May and Brendan had to wait around before continuing, though, as Kris was still on her way – or, specifically, her Feraligatr was slowly lumbering towards them, carrying a dark-haired human on its back. And for such a small human, this one sure had a deafening snore. When Croc came to a sudden stop just next to the tree May, Brendan and May's Pokémon were sitting under, Kris woke up with a sudden chortle.

"I've never slept in my life!" Kris exclaimed incoherently.

"You know, the rest of us had to walk," May grumbled. "Didn't you do any of that in Johto?"

"Aww, but this place is so much bigger, though," Kris complained as she slid off the massive back of her primary Pokémon. "Thanks, Croc," she added with a complementary pat on the Feraligatr's back – she couldn't reach the shoulder. "I mean, it's so vast but full of endless stretches of awful, _awful_ nature. Haven't you people heard of a thing called _poo-blic trans-phort-ta-shoon_?"

"...no?" May suggested.

"Well, I'm with Kris," Brendan said. "If I have to take another step, my legs will crumble into a pile of messy pulp. My pants will get ruined!"

"I mean, when you're not being scorched by the blistering heat," Kris complained, "you have to inhale a bunch of volcanic ash or scrape your leg on a pointy rock while climbing a jagged mountain or some freaks in stupid uniforms gallivant around with their idiotic schemes _and the police aren't doing a thing_ – well, okay, that last part isn't _too_ different from Johto..."

"What is _wrong_ with you people?!" May groaned. "Ya call yourself Pokémon trainers?"

"Well I don't..."

"Shove it, Brendan! And I want to get to Petalburg fast, so the only thing we _can_ do is put one leg in front of the other!"

Brendan sighed. However, he suddenly jerked his head up like a Mightyena that had just caught a scent of some prey. May's Pokémon reacted too, with Combusken and Breloom sniffing the air and Shuppet disappearing into the shadows behind the tree.

Soon after, the others heard it, too. A car was approaching their location, driving through Route 104 – unusual, considering the group hadn't seen asphalt in days. And based on the sound, it was a fairly big one. As Kris, May and Brendan stared on, a station wagon soon appeared into view on the horizon.

"This is our chance!" Brendan squealed, practically jumping up and down with glee. "We can hitchhike to Petalburg!"

"You've watched too many movies," Kris said. "Besides, even _I_ wouldn't pull over for me."

But Brendan stood on the side of the road and confidently raised his thumb in the air, causing May to sigh in frustration.

"Please, they won't stop," she said. "And what if it's some freak who wants to steal our stuff? I promised dad I wouldn't hospitalize anymore people!"

But Brendan just raised his thumb lower and assumed what Kris assumed to be his hitchhiking pose, other hand on his hip and a wide grin on his face, sunlight reflecting off his teeth like in a mouthwash commercial. Kris assumed whoever was driving would have to pull over for laughing too hard, at least.

To the surprise of both Kris and May, the five-door, seven-seat station wagon pulled over right next to Brendan, with the pasty but smiling face of a boy around the group's age sticking out of the window and waving.

"Wally!" May and Brendan exclaimed.

Kris gasped in fake shock, then realized she had no idea who it was and went back to being mostly interested in getting a lift.

"Are you coming back from your trip?!" Wally gasped enthusiastically, and continued before May and Brendan could interrupt. "Awesome! So I guess you already won the Pokémon League, May? And Brendan, how many ribbons did you end up getting? A hundred?"

"Um-"

"Who am I kidding, that's not remotely enough for someone of your caliber... a million?!"

"We're going back all right, but just briefly," Brendan said hastily. " _Very_ briefly. In fact, I doubt I'll even have time-"

"I'm going to the Petalburg Gym to challenge Norman!" May bragged proudly. "And then I'm going to see how pops is doing in Littleroot!"

"Well I'll be darnationed!"

The one who made that sudden proclamation was a middle-aged man with a huge grin on his face who rolled down the windows by the driver's seat.

"We're going there, too," the man said. "We're just driving home after I picked my son up from his relatives – took a while with that darn Rusturf Tunnel still under construction. You fancy a lift?"

Kris pushed May and Brendan aside to talk with Wally's dad. "Would we?!" Kris exclaimed.

"Who are you?" Wally asked suspiciously.

"Wh... I'm Kris, I'm friends with your bestest buddies May and Brendan, of course!" Kris said awkwardly. "Don't you remember all the good times we had together?"

"W-well, I..."

"Well hop in, all of you!" Wally's dad bellowed. "Always nice to meet new people!"

"Thank you, Mr. Wally!" Kris blabbered and shook the man's hand.

"Not at all, I'm just happy my boy actually has friends! You know, I was so worried about him, the boy spending hours locked in his room with those piccies of Pokémon – I thought he was socially dead!"

"D-dad, that's really..."

"Why, just the other day," Wally's dad told, "he had dressed all his furniture up as people and pretended to have a little conference with them."

"Yeah, who the heck would do something like that?" Kris said nervously, her eyes darting back and forth.

"And don't even get me started on the boy's little Gardevoir costume debacle-"

"DAD!"

"Right, well, May, Brendan, hop on in, Kris, you can pop open the door at the back, there's some sitting space there. Don't want you sitting up front here, stinking up the seats."

"Um, thanks," Kris said and walked to the back of the car while May and Brendan squeezed themselves in, forcing Wally to make space.

As May recalled her Pokémon, Kris opened the car's rear door, but as soon as she did so, Feraligatr misunderstood the lift offer and charged towards the car, trying to jump on the back seats.

"CROC, NO-"

After Feraligatr had been returned to its Poké Ball and Wally's dad had clarified that the massive Pokémon's weight hadn't broken the axles, the group managed to get going. Putting her feet up on the back seats, Kris allowed herself to relax at last. Wally's dad was still cheerfully chatting with the others – or so he thought, but no one was listening to a word he said, with Wally regaling everything he had done to May and Brendan, who listened halfheartedly, mostly too busy relaxing.

"...and May, that Ralts you helped me catch evolved!" Wally said, babbling like a little kid who was showing off his report card to his parents. "Kirlia, say hello!"

Kris turned her head to look, flinching as she noticed a white, green-haired Pokémon about the size of Wally himself, with red horns sticking out of its head, wave from the front seat next to Wally's dad.

 _So he lets a Pokémon sit in front but not me_ , Kris wondered, but flipped open her PokéDex anyway.

" _Kirlia, the Emotion Pokémon_ ," SkrillDex informed, " _and the evolved form of Ralts, Psychic-type. It is very sensitive to the emotions of its trainer and is filled with energy if its trainer is happy. The horns on its head are psychic amplifiers, allowing it to create mirages of nonexistent scenery and see into the future._ _Ask it if the verbose meatbag behind the wheel is going to crash and destroy you all soon._ "

"Okay, you almost had it going there," Kris said quickly and put her PokéDex away. "But that Pokémon is great, though!"

"Yeah, who knew you actually had what it took to make him evolve!" Brendan said. "When he was a Ralts, I wondered if you even knew from which end he shot psychic energy and from which end-"

"Brendan!" May hissed.

"Oh, that's not all," Wally said. "We trained at the Daycare a while back and he had an egg with a Gardevoir that was being looked after there. And I got to keep it and hatch it! The little baby should be right where, uh, Chris is sitting-"

"OH FFFFOG!" Kris exclaimed and lifted herself, looking to see if there was something flattened underneath her. "Warn me next time! Oh, Arceus, I wonder if I stepped on it. Oh no... here little Ralts..."

But as Kris calmed herself and sat down, something started climbing up her leg. Kris almost freaked out again, but the terror soon turned to a stretched "d'awwwwww" as she noticed it was a Ralts who had climbed on her knee and was looking up at her curiously.

"Hey, little g... um...?" Kris looked at Wally for help.

"It's female – according to the daycare people, anyway," Wally explained. "I've actually been looking for a suitable-"

"ME!" Kris yelled instantly and grabbed the Ralts in her arms. "How old is she?"

"Um... five or six days, I think..."

"So cute!"

"And that horn can blow up someone's brain from the inside!" May pointed out.

"Really?" Kris asked Wally.

"Well, theoretically, but, um, at this stage it's more likely to give you a slight headache for a couple of minutes..."

"So cute!" Kris repeated.

"Soon we'll be home," Brendan said, as if he couldn't believe it himself. "Ooh, Kris, you absolutely _must_ visit my home and see my mom. I'll ask if she can make some tempura or something – she's an excellent cook. And I could bake you something! Feels like I haven't eaten in ages."

"A free Pokémon and the promise of unhealthy food," Kris sighed wistfully. "Could this be the best day of my life? Pretty sad, when you think about it... but yeah, totally, I'd love to!"

"Yeah, thanks, _Brendan_ , but we're going to the gym _first_!" May said firmly.

"Aww, come on!" Kris groaned. "I wants some food in me!"

"My decision is fin-"

May was cut off by the rumbling of her own stomach. Kris, Brendan and Wally stared at her quietly while Wally's dad kept rambling on about the time he almost ran over a Zigzagoon and how it would have been 'terrible... for the axles'.

"...al," May finished quietly and crossed her arms.

_**Location: Petalburg City Gym, an hour later** _

Kris spent the rest of the ride feeding Pokéblocks (ones she 'borrowed' from Brendan) to her new Ralts and cuddling to it, ignoring the chilly silence in the car that followed when Norman was mentioned. Soon enough, Wally and his father had left for their own house while the rest of the group made their way to the Petalburg Gym. The dōjō stood as tall and imposing as ever, Kris faintly remembering arriving there with Iris and wondering out loud if she'd ever come back to Petalburg again.

 _I wonder what she's doing right now_...

May took a deep breath and strutted towards the door, Kris shrugging and following suit. But as May opened the door, she looked behind her to see Brendan just standing still like he was frozen, staring at the sign posted above the gym's door that simply read: 'Gym Leader, Norman'.

"On second though," Brendan muttered, but May interrupted and grabbed him by the arm.

Kris wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do – even as May dragged Brendan inside, Kris could see a look of horror slowly appearing on the poor boy's face, him turning briefly to pathetically look at Kris, silently mouthing 'Help me', to Kris, who just shrugged.

Norman was waiting at the second floor of his gym, as usual. No battle was in progress, so, wearing sweatpants and a tank top, Norman was working on a punching bag. Though there was _some_ family resemblance, as Kris glanced at Brendan, there was no way Kris could make the connection between the two without knowing it. Before Kris could suggest maybe coming to battle him later, with Norman seeming more aggressive than usual, May cleared her throat.

"Mr. Ruby – I mean, Mr. Norman!" she stumbled. "I mean, Norman! Hi, I'm back, and guess who I brought with me!"

Admitting defeat, Brendan shook himself free from May's grip and looked at the gym's floor while muttering his greeting through his teeth:

"Hello... father."

Norman glared at Brendan, then threw away his boxing gloves, spat on a bucket placed precariously on a nearby stool and grabbed a towel.

"Brendan," Norman said. "The last I heard of you, I had to get second-hand info on your whereabouts from May. You're worrying your mother sick, you know. Where have you been?"

"Around west Hoenn," Brendan answered tensely.

"Doing what?" Norman asked.

"Breathing, walking, blinking, existing... do you want the whole list?"

Norman raised his other eyebrow slightly.

"...and earning ribbons in Pokémon contests," Brendan said in a voice so quiet it was almost a whisper.

"I'm guessing you haven't even considered training your Pokémon properly," Norman said contemptuously as he wiped himself clean.

"I have, _actually_ ," Brendan hissed.

"No, I don't mean like teaching them how to look good in designer clothes or the art of flower arrangement," Norman said as he tossed the towel away. "I mean teach them how to battle, how to defend you if need be."

"Uh, well, not to interrupt a sweet father-son moment," May said, "but I'd really like a rematch right about now!"

"I have some time to spare," Norman said and turned back to his son. "You're going to stay home, right?"

"No, I'll be leaving as soon as possible," Brendan said, still unable to make eye contact with Norman.

"I wasn't asking," Norman said. "We're going to have to start serious training with you if we're going to-"

"I don't _WANT_ to be seriously trained!" Brendan exclaimed.

This was followed by a deafening silence. Kris stood awkwardly on the background, May wrung her hands nervously while Brendan stood still like a statue, shoulders slouched and eyes facing the floor. Norman just sighed and folded his arms.

"I would appreciate if you at least _tried_ to keep up the Ruby family traditions," Norman said.

"Uh, so," May piped in, "about the battle-"

"Yeah, yeah, let's get this over with – at least you look like you've gotten at least a little stronger and can give me even a _little_ challenge. Brendan, I want you to watch you father battle and learn – I'll be asking you about my techniques after this."

"NO!" Brendan cried, his yell echoing throughout the gym.

Norman glared at Brendan.

"The rules of the gym clearly state," he began, "that all students must adhere to a code of proper respect-"

"I'm not your student!" Brendan yelled, finally managing to look his father in the eyes, his angry expression even making Kris flinch. "I don't _need_ to be! I'm a lot stronger than before and I can _prove_ it to you! _I'll_ battle you!"

"Hey!" May interjected.

But Brendan turned to look at her, sweat dropping down his face, which was locked in a state of desperation.

"Please," Brendan told May. "You can go after me. Just please, _please_ let me have this!"

May smiled. "Fine," she said and crossed her arms. "I can't say I'm not looking forward to this."

"Brendan, this is no time for playing around," Norman said exasperatedly. "You're almost an adult, aren't you?"

"Shut up!" Brendan shouted. "Just... battle me, dad. Please!"

Norman rubbed his chin. "Well, you do have a _little_ more guts in you than usual today, so... fair enough. But don't complain to your mother that I was too hard on your Pokémon afterward!"

Kris and May just shrugged at each other, but settled for watching from the sidelines as Norman and Brendan got into the ring. Seeing Norman crack his knuckles and have a look of bored condescension on his face compared to Brendan twiddling his fingers around and jumping up and down nervously actually got Kris excited. Since there wasn't a judge or an announce present, she decided to assume those responsibilities.

"Welcome, one and all!" she said loudly to May's confusion. "In the blue corner we have a man dubbed the mightiest of all of Hoenn. Six feet four, one hundred and seventy-eight pounds of pure, unadulterated awesome, he's the nigh-undefeated, adored and admired gym leader of Petalburg City, _**Nnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooorrrrmaaaaan**_!"

"Who are you talking to?" May wondered.

"Well, it just seemed fitting somehow," Kris shrugged. "In the red corner, we have our challenger, standing at a _gargantuan_ four feet and eleven inches with the hat, the son of Norman, the glitter-sniffing, ribbon-sucking, foundation-abusing Coordinator dubbed the 'southern dandy... of Hoenn' – _**Brrrrrrrrrreeeeeendaaaaaaaaannnn**_!"

"Do you mind?!" Brendan squeaked from the ring. "I'm trying to concentrate!"

"Fair enough," Kris said meekly and sat down next to May, still holding the Ralts in her arms.

"Two Poké Balls," Norman instructed. "That means you can only use two Pokémon, so choose them well. You know, two," he added and held up two fingers.

"I _know_!" Brendan hissed.

"Just checking. And no time limit – I doubt there's any need."

" _JUST CHOOSE YOUR POKÈMON ALREADY!_ "

"Vigoroth, go!"

Norman sent out his fastest and fiercest Pokémon, the long-armed, sharp-clawed Vigoroth. Brendan just smiled confidently and kissed his Poké Ball good luck before throwing it on the ring, miniature fireworks exploding out of the Poké Ball as it opened, revealing he had sent out his Manectric.

"Seals?" Norman wondered. "Could you try to take this a little more seriously? This isn't Project Pokémon Runway, you know!"

"Thunder Wave!" Brendan commanded his Manectric.

But Vigoroth moved out of the way of the thin stream of electricity with incredible agility, almost too fast for the naked eye. Norman snapped his fingers, causing the Vigoroth to lunge at Manectric and use Slash, knocking the electric-type several feet away and causing it to howl miserably. Brendan cringed as he saw the clawmarks ruin the shiny fur of his Pokémon, but quickly got over it. He commanded Manectric to use Spark, letting the Pokémon envelope itself in electricy and charge at Vigoroth. Unfortunately, Manectric was far too slow, and Vigoroth moved out of the way quickly. When the sparkling around Manectric stopped, Vigoroth advanced immediately, hitting the electric-type in the legs and knocking it to the ground.

But something happened to Vigoroth as the attack struck. It withdrew its claws and flinched as if something had shocked it. Then, its movements suddenly became slow and jerky. Norman didn't seem to register any sort of surprise, while Brendan cheered victoriously as Manectric slowly got back on its feet.

"Yes!" he yelled. "You'd think a gym leader would know better – Manectric's ability can cause paralysis upon physical contact! How do you say now?"

"I'd say that it's unprofessional to narrate your strategy to your opponent," Norman said calmly. "Gloating is pretty childish, too."

"You... argh, Manectric, Thunderbolt!"

For once, Manectric's attack landed, and the burst of electricity clearly hurt Vigoroth. The normal-type wasn't out yet, though, but Brendan seemed almost sure of his victory. Even Kris was surprised – Norman didn't seem nearly as good as he was cracked up to be. Sure, he could use nonverbal commands, but only an amateur would risk hitting an opponent with Static, so-

"Vigoroth, Facade!" Norman ordered.

An orange glow suddenly surrounded Vigoroth, and before Brendan could react, the Wild Monkey Pokémon had hit Manectric and knocked it out. Brendan's hand was practically shaking as he returned Manectric to its Poké Ball, as if he couldn't comprehend the situation.

"Hey, Kris," May whispered. "What was that 'Facade' thing and how could Vigoroth move so fast?"

"Oh, so _now_ you come to ol' Kris-senpai for help!" Kris said smugly and folded her arms – but May's glare made her give in. "Okay, well, it was a cool strategy, and I had a feeling he had been working to that end a long time. See, if a Pokémon is poisoned, paralyzed or burned, Facade's power doubles."

Hands still shaking, Brendan sent out his next Pokémon to the field while Norman withdrew Vigoroth. Brendan's Pokémon was his magnificent Altaria while Norman went with a Pokémon that caused the whole ring to shake as it materialized. The Pokémon was massive and looked like a larger version of Vigoroth, only with brown fur and noticeably less aggression. This Pokémon just lay on its back leaning on its hand while scratching its belly with the other, yawning loudly. Kris was reminded of stories how Red handled a situation with a similar lazy Pokémon of massive size back in Kanto.

" _Slaking, the Lazy Pokémon and the evolved form of Vigoroth_ ," SkrillDex informed. " _Said to be the world's laziest Pokémon. Despite its tendency to loll about and eat all its life, it can exert a horrifying amount of power when pushed hard enough. Its ability, Truant, causes it to laze around instead of doing anything approximately half the time._ "

"Why would he do that?" May wondered. "Paralyzed Vigoroth with Facade would have been more than enough, and he switches it out for... this?"

"We'll see, won't we?"

"Altaria!" Brendan yelled in a high-pitched voice. "Use Dragonbr... no, wait, don't use that. Um..."

"We can wait," Norman said coldly and crossed his arms.

Brendan looked like he was either on the verge of tears or ripping Norman's head off, possibly both. "Dragon Pulse!" he yelled desperately.

Altaria fired a turquoise energy ball at Slaking, who lazily swatted the attack away with its massive hand while still leaning on the other. It didn't make any kind of attempt to fight back, though, so Brendan decided to press on with Moonblast. Altaria inhaled deep and gathered an enormous amount of pink energy in its beak until it was in the shape of a large sphere, which it then chucked at Slaking. The attack made contact, causing the Slaking to roar and grumpily get on its feet, a clear impact mark on its shoulder where the Moonblast hit.

Brendan smiled triumphantly, but Norman gave out another silent command. In response, Slaking got back on the ground and seemingly relaxed, much to Brendan's confusion. He didn't seem to know what was going on, but May gasped and tugged Kris' sleeve, pointing at Slaking.

The impact mark on Slaking's shoulder emitted a slight glow, then apparently faded away, Slaking smiling contently and going back to relaxing. Brendan snapped out of his funk, and taking advantage of his opponent's lethargic style of battling, ordered Altaria to use Dragon Dance. Swinging its wings around and doing a complex dance routine in the air, the blue bird briefly glowed bright red, before opening its beak and roaring at Slaking, who was glaring Altaria intensely.

"We can do this, Altaria!" Brendan encouraged. "Sky Attack!"

Altaria flew high in the air, well out of Slaking's reach and spread its wings wide, this time enveloping itself in bright red flames. Meanwhile, Slaking got up again, slowly and with a grunt that indicated it wanted to get this over with just as quickly as Norman did.

"Now!" Brendan yelled.

Still surrounded by the flames, Altaria folded its wings and charged at Slaking, who lazily pulled its massive fist back. Brendan just realized what was going on, but had no time to stop as Altaria was struck by Slaking's powerful Focus Punch a second later, sending the dragon-type flying dizzily around the ring. Norman snapped his fingers and Slaking nodded, opening its mouth wide and hitting Altaria with an Ice Beam attack, easily knocking it out.

Kris and May cheered and clapped before noticing the devastated look on Brendan's face, going back to clapping politely. He didn't even recall the fainted Altaria, just stared at it, an uncomprehending look on his face. After quietly thanking his Slowing, who went back to lazing around, Norman walked over to Brendan and gave him a flick on the forehead. This gesture made him snap out of it and return Altaria to its Poké Ball. However, he couldn't look at Norman anymore, instead turning his back on him and scurrying out of the ring.

As May and Kris approached the ring, Norman turned his attention to them, while Brendan stood a few feet away from them with his back turned and shoulders slouched. Kris wanted to comfort him or praise him how well he was doing compared to Norman's abilities, but couldn't think of anything that didn't sound condescending.

"Unfortunately, your gym battle is going to have to wait," Norman told May. "I apologize, but Vigoroth needs some treatment for its paralysis."

"Uh, okay," May stuttered uncertainly. "T-that's really not a prob-"

"I also wish to thank you," Norman said.

"Me?"

"With you around, May, I doubt Brendan could have lasted more than two minutes," Norman explained. "You're a good influence on him – if only he'd learn a proper strategy while he's at it. Looks like I'll have to teach him anyway."

"Um, Mr. Ruby," Kris started, and flinched when Norman turned to look at her.

When Norman watched Kris expectantly, Kris just scratched the back of her head awkwardly and looked over Norman's shoulder as she spoke up to him.

"Um, hi, my name's Kris," she said. "Not that I know much, but I don't think getting stronger is what everybody wants-"

"But it's what everybody needs," Norman said firmly. "I can see that you desire the same. Based on your accent, I'd say you're from elsewhere... Johto, right?"

Kris nodded. But Norman shook his head as he observed Kris from all angles. Then, he just appeared to notice the Ralts Kris was holding. His face went oddly grim as he slowly raised his hand and pointed at the Ralts, frowning at it.

"Is that a Ralts?" he asked.

Kris nodded again.

"It's so... tiny," Norman said stoically.

Then, slowly and awkwardly, Norman patted the Ralts on the head twice. Ralts didn't respond with a psychic blast that would fry Norman's brain, so Kris assumed she wasn't bothered by it. Ralts just opened its mouth slightly and looked at Norman in confusion like a baby.

Norman cleared his throat.

"Anyway," he said, "all three of you have a long way to go before you can even call yourself professional Pokémon trainers. You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot who don't even have the slightest clue – but somehow, I'll make trainers out of you!"

"What do you mean?" May asked.

"The Hoenn League is less than two months away," Norman said. "As much of a bother it is taking students at the last minute like this, the state of this year's batch of trainers is appalling, and I need at least someone competent out there. That's why I'd like you to stay here and train with me for a while."

"What?!" Brendan exclaimed, turning his head around so fast that Kris cringed. "I have to get to Slateport City to compete!"

Norman glared at Brendan, then finally sighed in resignation when Brendan wouldn't give in.

"I'm asking you to stay in town for at least a few days," Norman said. "Your mother will want to see how you're doing. And if my son makes a fool out of himself in that Contest because he can't treat his Pokémon properly, that'll make the whole family look bad."

Brendan opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again immediately after, instead just staring at his father for a while.

"It..." Brendan muttered and looked at May. "You'll probably want to visit Littleroot, huh?"

"Much as I want to get my next badge," May said, "this is a chance to get training money can't buy – unless you're Mr. Stone. I guess if we both stay, I could go for a few days, maybe even a week..."

"Um," Kris voiced, "so, Brendan, you said something about tempura...?"

"You too," Norman said. "I want to see how a trainer from Johto does, and if you came all the way from there, you can't be _too_ terrible. Well, you'll be better than Brendan any rate."

"Um, gosh - well, thanks!" Kris said awkwardly. "But, uh, when do we start?"

Norman cracked his knuckles. "Right now."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Mt. Pyre, Hoenn** _

Wes and Yellow walked through the massive indoor Pokémon grave site, with Yellow occasionally stopping to look at a gravestone, which tried Wes' patience. Yellow had told Wes the details of how the Red Orb had been stolen, but so far Wes hadn't heard anything about why it was so important or what Yellow was doing there.

"Are you _now_ ready to tell me?" Wes asked as Yellow stood perfectly still, transfixed on a particular grave.

"Yes, sorry," Yellow said calmly. "It's just that a place like this, with so much grief and other emotions, so much contemplation - it's beautiful in a way."

"They're graves," Wes deadpanned. "Why are you in Hoenn in the first place? Have you found anything else on the prophecy?"

Yellow nodded. "Recordings of the language it was written on, including explanations for some of the symbols, are most likely hidden deep underwater in the east Hoenn sea."

"Why there?" Wes wondered.

"Perhaps some kind of cataclysmic event caused the sea levels to rise long ago," Yellow speculated. "You remember the pictures on that shrine? Those refer to the Pokémon Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza, respectively."

"Some kind of gods, are they?" Wes asked.

Yellow smiled. "They're a little lower in the chain, but not too far. They're said to be the reasons why the land, sea and sky of Hoenn came to existence, while others claim they created them in this entire world. Sadly, as powerful beings tend to do, they had troubles getting along, and one day, it is said that Groudon and Kyogre got into a battle that raged on for years and almost caused a global environmental disaster... that was until Rayquaza descended from the skies and used up all of its power in forcing Groudon and Kyogre to stop and putting them to sleep before disappearing to places unknown for an endless slumber... they don't write stories the way they used to," Yellow added, still smiling.

"You think it's just a story?" Wes asked.

Yellow shrugged. "But I do respect it. Either way, if there's even the slightest truth to some of these old stories-"

"There usually is," Wes sighed. "Even if I think they're just hooey, someone or some _thing_ will eventually prove me wrong."

"-then the Red Orb has to be brought back," Yellow finished.

"But Team Magma has been wiped out," Wes said. "So do you think Team Aqua has it now?"

Yellow closed their eyes and concentrated. "I have a feeling they're involved, but there's something else, too. Something with a _lot_ more power..."

"Yikes," Wes muttered.

There was no reason to doubt Yellow's words. And Wes had thought it couldn't get worse than Navel Rock.

"Just one thing," Yellow said suddenly. "How did you know to come to Mt. Pyre?"

Wes blinked and quickly turned to face away from Yellow. _Aww crap_ , he thought. _I forgot. Psychic! Damn it!_

"Why do you ask?" Wes asked evasively.

Yellow's tone remained even. "I just wondered if you'd found a source of information elsewhere. I'm sure we're not the only people interested in the prophecy, or what's going on in Hoenn at the moment."

 _Damnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnit_.

"I just have an ear to the ground," Wes said, not looking Yellow in the eyes but gazing over their shoulder. "You know, pay attention to the news, chat with locals, staying on the move, et cetera. I pieced it together pretty well, I think."

For the longest time, Yellow just looked at Wes. Or at least it felt like an eternity for Wes – it could have been only about five seconds, and Yellow's calm, expressionless face just made time drag by slower. Finally, though, Yellow just smiled and nodded.

But Yellow was quick to turn around all of a sudden, as if sensing something. They started suddenly marching back towards the way leading to the summit without saying a word, but Wes managed to stop them.

"What's going on?" Wes asked.

"I think someone's trying to steal the Blue Orb," Yellow said while walking briskly forward, causing Wes to run out of breath trying to keep up with them.

"But didn't they tell us they had security arranged – though I admit I haven't seen any yet..."

"I still should do what I can to help," Yellow said.

"Wait!"

Wes ran past Yellow and blocked their way. Yellow just tilted their head in confusion.

"You shouldn't bother with this, really," Wes urged. "You have so much important stuff to do – and I haven't had a decent battle in a long while. You've seen what my Pokémon can do – just leave it to me!"

Yellow bit their lip – but to Wes' surprise, soon smiled and nodded briefly.

"Very well," Yellow said. "I'll head on to Sootopolis City to see if they know anything."

With a quick wish of luck, Wes and Yellow parted ways, with Wes dashing down the stairs, away from the creepy temple full of graves, and towards the summit. Huffing and puffing all the way as he descended the stairs, Wes soon clarified that Yellow was right: he could hear shouting and sounds of a Pokémon battle coming from near the shrine. Stopping halfway through, Wes grabbed a Poké Ball from his belt and opened it, sending out his Umbreon.

Just as Wes started running again, he spotted two people in blue uniforms running down the stairs towards him. Wes assumed a fighting stance.

"Team Aqua!" Wes yelled out. "Should have known you'd try to get your grubby mitts on the Blue Orb, but now you're dealing with me, and I won't – hey!"

The Aqua Grunts didn't stay to listen to Wes' quasi-heroic speech, but merely dashed past him in a hurry. Wes and Umbreon turned to look in confusion as they kept on running until they disappeared from sight. As Wes started ascending again, more Aqua Grunts dashed down the stairs, all with looks of horror frozen on their faces, shouting muted screams of terror all the way.

"Retreat!"

"She's crazy!"

"Oh my Kyogre _ruuuuun_!"

Wes frowned, but kept on climbing the stairs with Umbreon until he reached the summit. But as soon as he got to the top of the staircase, a thick fist emerged out of nowhere and almost punched his teeth out, Wes managing to dodge just in time and finding himself face to face with an Emboar. Before he could question why the fire-type was there, he was suddenly hit on the back of the head, the punch knocking him to the ground.

"Whoops, sorry," a chipper voice said, Wes hearing it faintly through the ringing in his ears.

Before he knew it, Wes was lifted roughly back on his feet. He didn't even have to open his eyes, as he recognized the voice perfectly well – and the punch even better.

"You did that on purpose," Wes groaned.

"Yeah, I know," Hilda grinned and crossed her arms. "Hence the apology."

"Did you just learn that word?" Wes muttered - just quietly enough so Hilda couldn't hear - as he opened his eyes. "Let me guess, _you're_ part of the security they hired?"

"I _am_ the security they hired here," Hilda said proudly and returned her Emboar to its Poké Ball. "That'll do, Emboar," she said affectionately. "That'll do."

"I thought you'd be with Alder," Wes said and withdrew Umbreon.

"He can shoot the crud with some dignitaries without my help," Hilda said and flipped her hair back. "Figured my skills could be needed elsewhere, so I came here. Pretty cushy until today. Should have known these idiots would try something again, but at least they-"

But Hilda fell silent as she suddenly turned to look at the shrine. Somehow, a bearded man wearing a V-neck shirt and a similar blue bandana as the Team Aqua grunts had sneaked to the shrine, and was now caressing the Blue Orb with insane glee.

"What a lovely addition to my collection," the man said hoarsely as he held the blue ball delicately between two fingers. "I want it!"

"Hold it!" Hilda yelled, pushed Wes aside and grabbed a Poké Ball so fast that Wes' eyes couldn't keep up. "You're with these clowns, then?"

"Honey, I _am_ these clowns," the man said flamboyantly. "Archie's the name – Team Aqua's my little hobby, and with _this_ , we're one step closer to our goal!"

"Which is?" Hilda asked roughly.

"Would you believe we're building a new clubhouse?"

Hilda chuckled. "Okay, old man, just put it down so I can beat you up."

"No, can't, sorry," Archie smirked. "Ta-ta!"

Hilda was about to open her Poké Ball when an ear-splitting, high-pitched noise caused her to grunt and drop it, forcing her to cover her ears. Wes did the same, feeling like his head was being split open by this terrible noise. Archie, however, didn't seem to mind – he just pocketed the Blue Orb and raised his hand. Before either Wes or Hilda could do anything, Archie's massive Golbat, at least ten inches bigger than an average one you'd find in the wild, swooped in. Archie grabbed its legs and allowed it to lift him in the air and fly him away from Mt. Pyre, laughing all the way.

"Damn it!" Wes exclaimed as he finally let go of his ears, the Golbat noise gone. He turned to glare at Hilda. "You blew it, Hilda!"

Hilda punched Wes in the shoulder.

"I deserved that," Wes grimaced.

"Yes, but you're right, though," Hilda muttered as she stared after Archie, who was just a dot in the distance now. "I did fail – and I promised myself that I wouldn't fail after..." Hilda sighed, then turned to look at Wes, a determined expression on her face. "I'm getting it back. You want to help, that'd be great, but if not, GTFO!"

Wes rubbed his shoulder. "Yeah, I will help. I don't know what will happen now that they have the orbs, but I've heard from someone that we should probably cancel any vacation plans we have here.."

"Who?" Hilda asked.

"It was-" Wes bit his lip and looked away. "Doesn't matter. We should get going."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Vermilion City, Kanto** _

_**Two months earlier...** _

"Damnitdamnitdamnit..."

"Yeah, I've heard you the first few times, Wes," Yellow said in their usual serene way. "Just be still if you want me to fix this."

Wes and Yellow were hiding in an empty warehouse near the docks in Vermilion City. Seated in a musty old recliner, Wes had pulled his pant leg up and allowed Yellow to work their magic on the long, bleeding wound near his ankle.

"How did this happen?" Yellow asked calmly as they inspected the wound.

"Some old friends from Orre came for a visit," Wes groaned. "They still hadn't heard from Nascour and Miror B. that the Griseous Orb was gone, and I had a little trouble convincing them."

"And after that, they stabbed you?"

"No, they stabbed me after they reminded me of some money I owe... _please, hurry_!"

"All right, all right..."

Yellow closed their eyes and clasped their hands together. Then, they slowly moved their hand in a circular motion above Wes' leg. After a couple of seconds, the wound started to glow, followed by a rapid healing and skin slowly starting to fix itself, eventually only leading a pale scar and a lot of blood behind.

"There," Yellow said after the process was over, opened their eyes and stood up. "Just go easy on it for today. You have nice legs, by the way."

"Thanks," Wes said, not even bothered by the odd praise. "I moisturize. And thanks for this, too – what I wouldn't give to have those kind of powers. You're incredible!"

"Oh, not really," Yellow said modestly. "I just... just... oh..."

Wes caught Yellow just as the latter's eyes closed again and they lost their balance. Looking at Yellow's face, Wes was instantly reminded of Navel Rock's aftermath, with the color of Yellow's face being drained and some blood starting to run down their nose.

"Thanks," Yellow mumbled weakly as Wes got them back on their feet. "I- I have a cold."

Wes raised his eyebrows.

"I get a cold easily," Yellow muttered.

"You're scaring me, Yellow," Wes said firmly. "What is happening to you?"

"I don't..." Yellow said quietly. "I don't do this kind of thing often, you know. This is why I lived in the forest. Alone. It's just that whenever I use my powers to do a particularly complex or draining task, it, well... weakens me. Especially when I heal the wounds of people or Pokémon."

"Buh... but..." Wes stuttered. "I didn't know... Yellow, you shouldn't have bothered for me-"

"You promised to help me," Yellow cut in. "You dedicated all your time, practically your life, to this cause you had no reason to believe or aid in any way. I couldn't abandon you in your time of need, and I'd advise you to steer clear of hospitals as much as you can."

"Are you going to be-"

"I'll recover in a matter of hours," Yellow said with a slight cough, but still managed to crack a smile. "I'll be fine, trust me. Just keep yourself out of trouble. Excuse me."

As Yellow left the room, Wes kept staring after them in a mixture of worry and awe.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Aqua Hideout, off the coast of Lilycove City, Hoenn** _

_**Present day** _

Shelly, Tabitha and a skeptical-looking Lunick stood between the platform where Archie was standing, elevated above all, and dozens of Aqua Grunts in their blue, pirate-inspired uniforms. They all loudly chanted the name of their leader as the man in question grinned and held the Blue Orb high in the air.

"Thank you!" Archie beamed at the crowd. "Listen! I want you to listen! Our plan was a success! Our hated rival has been destroyed! Even with Matt and several of our fellow sisters and brothers behind bars, everything came full circle in the end! Team Aqua has emerged triumphant, and soon, the final phase of our plan will begin. No more will those filthy humans pollute the seas! A great wave will soon purge Hoenn of sin, and the world will follow, until only us, the chosen ones, are left! In our new society, people, Pokémon and nature will live forever in harmony! We will spread the message of peace all over the globe, and those who disagree will meet a bloody end-"

But Archie's monologue was interrupted as the ceiling exploded. Something big and dark red flew in through the newly created hole, causing the Aqua Grunts to scatter around in fear. Archie, however, stood steadfast in place, yelling at his subordinates until they stopped panicking and instead, turned to stare at whatever just came in.

It was Latias, hovering above the Aquas, gazing down on Archie, identifying him as the leader right away. Archie stared back unflinchingly, and without saying a word, Latias opened her wing and revealed what she had been holding: a red, slightly glowing glass sphere the exact same and size as the Blue Orb Archie was holding. Seeing it caused Archie to lick his lips greedily.

"I see," he told Latias. "So we have you to thank for getting rid of our hated enemy. Everyone, settle down! I think we should get to know our new friend. I have a feeling that you're a Pokémon – and that you understand what I'm saying."

" _Perfectly_ ," Latias said, her voice echoing around the room. " _And I can respond, too._ _Your primitive_ _human_ _method of communicating is easily_ _identifiable._ "

"We are primitive indeed, especially in the face of a magnificent creature like yourself," Archie said smoothly. "I'm also guessing that you're not here to give it to us?"

" _A trade_ ," Latias boomed. " _I know where to find the Pokémon called Groudon_."

Archie's eyes widened, but he remained calm otherwise. "Interesting," he said as he stroked his beard. "We happen to know where to find Kyogre – you know what our plan is, then?"

" _I can see into your mind, human_ ," Latias said. " _But I also heard about it from other members of your group I ran into a few weeks ago. I got some information out of them before I made them explode._ "

There was restless muttering to be heard from the Aqua Grunt crowds, but Archie didn't react.

"Uh huh," he just said. "I was wondering why the Sootopolis group stopped reporting in. No matter, any good organization gets rid of its weak links. So what are you saying?"

" _You will help me pit Groudon and Kyogre against each other. In return, you can have both orbs and do whatever you want_."

Archie had to hold back the urge to grin moronically and start singing to himself in glee.

"It's a deal," he said evenly.

However, Lunick cleared his throat loudly. Achie glared at him, but knelt down and listened to what he had to say, anyway.

"Sir, you can't go forward with this," he said hastily. "This _thing_ is a murderer! I know what you said was all just filler to get these people on your side, but we can't work with a creature like this."

"Lunick," Archie said loudly, "there's no use lowering your voice in the presence of an obvious psychic-type. And you'll do as I say - remember, it's all for the good of the goal you've dreamed of for so long. You!" Archie yelled at Latias. "You're on - the preparations are already underway, and with your help, we can ensure that everything goes off without a hitch. Everyone!" Archie addressed the crowd. "Even the most powerful of Pokémon are on our side - this is a sign from the heavens that even the Gods are on our side. Our cause is just and there is no way we can lose!"

The crowd cheered, Shelly and Tabitha applauding sycophantically while Lunick gave more modest applause. As he glanced at the dark red and white Pokémon suspiciously, he couldn't help but to shake the feeling that he was no longer safe even in his mind.


	8. Clash of the Elements, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Slateport City, both Team Aqua and Latias make their moves. Kris sees this as an opportunity to play hero.

**Chapter Eight: _Clash of the Elements, Part 1_**

_**Location: Slateport Contest Hall, Slateport City, Hoenn** _

" _Kris' log, day_ _5_ _4_ _in Hoenn._ _It has been a strange –_ _not to mention really hot, considering it's, like, fall -_ _morning full of omens._ _Last night, I dreamed that_ _I was sealed in a glass box, yet somehow able to breathe._ _I watched helplessly_ _as the ones who I cherish the most – both of them –_ _were drowned by a massive_ _tidal wave. In the end I was left all alone at the bottom of_ _a_ _dark, endless ocean._ "

" _A good sign for a bright new day, don't you think?_ "

" _Though my brief three-day training period_ _with the Kimono Girls back in Johto had drained me of all my energy, it was practically an extended vacation at the Sevii Islands compared to_ _week we spent at Norman's._ _It wasn't enough that whenever I was training my Pokémon, he had to scream into my ear like that guy_ _from_ _that cooking show,_ _but he also whipped us into shape, almost literally. May had little problem with the physical training while me and Brendan were almost ready to retire and live the rest of our lives as berry farmers._ _This Pokémon business is hard work!_ "

" _Even for all of May's bravado, though, she was unable to beat_ _Norman, though he had been right, she_ did _last longer than Brendan. I'm not surprised. Swish! May got a chance to see her family in Littleroot, but after that,_ _both she and Brendan seemed to be awfully obsessed with getting somewhere fast. Much as Brendan's complained, though, he joined us when we traveled around north_ _east mainland_ _Hoenn and_ _May_ _got a badge from_ _Winona, the gym leader of some freaky town where people live in trees._ _As for myself... well, see, it's not like getting badges is_ everything _that matters in life._ _May caught a Wailmer near the Safari Zone and I managed to make my sweetie-pie Ralts evolve into a fancy Kirlia. Now, it's finally time for Brendan to earn his_ _Hyper_ _Rank ribbo-_ "

"Nailed it!"

"Wow, Brendan, you didn't even leave me enough time to complete my sentence!"

Kris and Brendan high-fived as Brendan showed off his Tough Contest Ribbon that he attached to his Swampert, who had evolved from Marshtomp during the training with Norman. May's Combusken had also evolved into a feisty Blaziken during the battle against Winona. Kris would pay to see those two work off their constant tension.

With a Pokémon battle – obviously. Just a shame Brendan would never agree to it.

During Brendan's Contest, May was leaning against a wall, eyes closed and looking annoyed, even talking through gritted teeth.

"Don't you feel any shame, Brendan?" May asked, to which Brendan just looked confused and oblivious. "You're making a powerful Pokémon like that doll up, forcing it to prance and showboat in front of people. That's against their true nature!"

"I suppose their _'true nature_ ' is fighting anyone their trainer orders them to?" Brendan countered.

"Yes!" May snapped. "Well, maybe not the 'trainer orders them to'-part, but... yeah, it so _is_ their true nature! My dad's a scientist on Pokémon behavior, I ought to know!"

"Real convincing argument there, May."

"Yeah, well – your hat looks stupid!"

As May stomped off, Kris rolled her eyes at the lame insult, though Brendan held his chest and looked extremely offended. Kris glanced at his hat.

"I don't think it looks stupid," Kris comforted, "though I don't think I've seen you without it. I think you'd look good if-"

But as Kris reached to take Brendan's hat off, Brendan yelled and practically slapped her hand away. Kris raised her eyebrows at this behavior while Brendan blushed.

"Sorry," he said awkwardly. "I just... rather wouldn't."

Kris sighed as Brendan turned to stare after May. How much longer would she have to put up with this silly drama?

However, Brendan did a complete one-eighty and practically snapped his head back when he heard excited Contest Fans squealing about something, pointing in their general direction.

"There they are!" one of them screamed.

"My reputation has reached all the way over here," Brendan said smugly. "Oh, well, I love my fans – I'll sign until my hand is sore if I need to."

"What did they mean by 'they'?" Kris asked hopefully.

"Me and my Swampert, of course!"

"Oh."

But as Brendan prepared himself, the contest fans rushed right past him and towards the Contest Hall's entrance. As Kris and Brendan turned to look, they spotted a reporter woman from Hoenn TV and a cameraman talking with someone Kris couldn't see, the contest fans swarming around them blocking them from sight even further.

"Hey!" Brendan complained. "What gives?!"

"Was there another contest going on?" Kris asked.

"Yeah, the Beauty Contest was on at the same time," Brendan said. "Most of the crowds went to watch that," he added bitterly. "I was supposed to try getting that ribbon tomorrow."

"...you wanna eavesdrop?"

"Damn right I do!"

Brendan thanked Swampert for a good contest and withdrew it. Then, he and Kris walked casually towards the crowd, listening intently to what they were talking about. This wasn't too hard, as the Contest fans were grave silent, as if they weren't even breathing, as they listened to whomever it was being interviewed.

"...many deeds around Hoenn," the interviewer, Gabby, spoke into her microphone. "Now you and your Typhlosion have successfully managed to get a Hyper Rank Beauty Contest Ribbon and you're making a name for yourself in Coordinator circles, yet you still call yourself an amateur, right? Amazing – heroic _and_ modest. Tell me, how do you do it?"

"Oh, I'm nothing special," said a voice so eerily familiar it made the hair on Kris' neck stand up. "Well, okay, maybe a _little_ special. It takes hard work to train a Pokémon team to its peak like I do, and my earlier experience in Johto – I'm sure everyone remembers me from the Silver Conference – really helped. But you must have something special as well. Take me, for instance – I know the hearts of the Pokémon, I can read the feelings of my team. Together, we're an unstoppable juggernaut of a team!"

"Amazing," Gabby said again, though she sounded a bit strained. "Well, we... what's that?"

Gabby held her finger against her earpiece. Kris couldn't see her expression past the crowd, but her voice suddenly became a lot more enthusiastic.

"Ty, wrap it up – we'll edit this into a filler piece later!" she said. "We've got a _real_ scoop by the harbor!"

"Hey, hold on!" the interviewee complained. "What about me?"

"You didn't think it'd last forever, did you?" Gabby said cruelly. "We've been making you look good for weeks. Just face it, honey – your fifteen minutes are over. Come on, Ty, move it!"

With that, the crowd dispersed, losing interest the moment the TV people left. With the crowd gone, Kris could plainly see the interviewee: Lyra, standing in the same spot looking confused and dejected. Even her big marshmallow-y hat looked deflated. All this amused Kris greatly, and she was about to point and laugh when Brendan ran past her and almost tackled Lyra as he hugged her.

"Ly!" Brendan squealed.

"Whatnow?" Kris wondered.

"Oh, hi, Bren," Lyra said lifelessly (Kris continued to be confused), not really responding to Brendan's hug. "Sorry, this is really not a good time..."

"But I want you to meet a new friend of mine!" Brendan insisted as he let go of her. "Lyra, this is-"

"Kris?!" Lyra exclaimed in surprise and annoyance.

"Lyra," Kris muttered.

Brendan looked between both of them in confusion.

"Um," he said uncertainly. "So you two already-"

"We're neighbors," both Kris and Lyra said at the same time.

"Well this is _wonderful_ ~!" Brendan singsonged, ignoring the tension entirely. "My two best friends know each other!"

"Um, just be glad May isn't around to hear that," Kris pointed out. "And what about that Wilbur kid?"

"Oh, Wally," Brendan pondered. "Yeah, well, uh, what I meant was, two _of_ my best friends..."

"Anyway, what are you doing here, Lyra?" Kris asked, ignoring Brendan's musings. "I'm sure there's some toothpaste commercial running in Pacifidlog Town where you haven't crammed your mug into yet."

Lyra scoffed. "You can't just make up a town to insult me," she snorted. "Anyway, for your information, I'm entering the Hoenn League. Even if I already had all the badges I needed, I traveled around the place and easily got badges from Wattson and Winona."

Kris was stung by her loss at Winona – and she hadn't even had the chance to fight Wattson. That meant she was still one badge short of the eight needed. But it was okay – all she had to was get a witty response in and Lyra would _totally_ feel embarrassed!

"Um..." Kris muttered. "Yeah, well, um... yeah!"

 _Okay, not one of my best_.

"And what are you doing in Hoenn?" Lyra asked. "Not planning to compete in the league, are you? Sorry, Kris, but the level of the trainers here is above Johto's, and I don't think they look kindly on people who only got to compete last time on a technicality. You're welcome to watch me from audience, though!"

Kris ground her teeth together, feeling a forehead vein about to pop, trying as hard as she could to avoid screeching at Lyra. The weirdest thing was that Lyra didn't say it in a mean, condescending way – she had a completely earnest expression on her face as she spoke.

"Uh... so, I wonder where May went," Brendan said awkwardly.

"Eh, probably to the harbor as well," Kris shrugged. "I was supposed to... oh, crud! Iris! I was supposed to meet up with her there!"

"Who?" Brendan wondered.

"Never mind, it doesn't concern you!" Kris snapped. "Let's just go!"

But as Kris and Brendan started heading towards the harbor, they stopped to see Lyra following suit as well.

"What?" Kris asked harshly.

"I can come with you guys, right?" Lyra asked cheerfully, as if there wasn't any tension in the air.

"Of course you can!" Brendan said.

"Yeah, what he said, I guess, but without the 'of course'," Kris grumbled. "Why would you want to, though?"

"Hey, maybe I want to see Iris, too!" Lyra said perkily, though she quietly added: "And I guess I have to see what there is so much more important than me..."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Slateport Harbor, Slateport City, Hoenn** _

A crowd of people had gathered around the harbor, and the explanation for it was quickly found. Three people stood at the entrance of the building, with Captain Stern at the front being interviewed by Gabby. He looked like he was sweating and generally not having a good time, but he still answered the questions dutifully. Behind him were his assistant, Dock, and to Kris' surprise, Mr. Briney, with Peeko the Wingull sitting on his shoulder.

As Kris tried to navigate her way through the crowd, hearing Brendan and Lyra chatting happily about what they had been up to behind her, something suddenly tugged her arm. It almost gave Kris a heart attack, but it only turned out to be May, who said something which Kris couldn't hear over the prattle of the crowd, so she followed her away from the crowd, Lyra and Brendan in tow.

Finally, away from the crowds, Kris spotted a familiar face sitting on a bench by the sea, chatting with Professor Ivy. And indeed, as May called out to her, Kris saw someone with lots of long, curly purple hair turn around from her conversation. Her face lighting up, Iris immediately abandoned Ivy and rushed over to glomp Kris, all the while yelling her name. As happy as Kris was to see her again, this was something she did not appreciate.

"Yeah, nice to see you, too," Kris grunted as Iris helped her back up.

"Oh my goodness, I have to show you something awesome," Iris prattled so quickly that Kris was amazed she didn't bite her tongue. "Professor Ivy helped me get the awesomemest Pokémon ever, like, a friend from Kalos sent it to her and you've got to see it and-"

"Hi, Iris!" Lyra greeted pleasantly.

Iris was shocked to see her at first, and then, as Kris predicted, attack-hugged her in the same way as Kris, knocking Lyra to the ground.

"People really like doing that to me today," Lyra laughed as she and Iris got up. "How've you been?"

"Oh, amazing!" Iris squealed. "But what about you?! I mean, is it true you fought Team Aqua all by yourself at the Weather Institute?"

"Well, with my Pokémon," Lyra amended. "And I'm not saying that they went down in less than fifteen minutes, but... well, let's just say they went down _real_ fast. Like, in less than ten minutes!"

Kris wondered if there was a bucket close by she could throw up into.

"You've got to see this cool Pokémon, too, Lyra!" Iris beamed, then seemed to notice Brendan standing awkwardly in the background. "Um... hi?"

"Hi!" Brendan greeted, glad to be noticed. "Uh, I'm Brendan. Nice to meet you, Iris!"

Iris glanced at May. " _That_ Brendan?"

May nodded, while Brendan looked confused. Iris decided to just politely smile and nod at Brendan before running over to the railing at the edge of the shore. Kris, Lyra, May and Brendan gathered close to her and watched as she whistled into the sea, seemingly at something that wasn't there.

However, mere seconds later, something emerged from the sea and swam scarily quickly at the group. It was a big, dragon-like Pokémon that looked like it could kill you with a deadly neurotoxin in three seconds. It was mostly brown and purple with a long, thin body and a red, leaf-like crest on top of its head.

Kris was about to yell at Iris to take cover, but the Pokémon just swam to her affectionately and allowed Iris to pat its head like it was a friendly Growlithe. Relieved, she scanned the thing.

" _Dragalge_ ," SkrillDex informed her. " _The Mock Kelp Pokémon, Dragon- and Poison-type,_ _the evolved form of Skrelp._ _Its poison_ _is strong enough_ _to eat through_ _the hull of a tanker, and they spit it indiscriminately at anything_ _that enters their territory. Tales are told of ships that wander where Dragalge live, never to return_."

"Cool," Kris said appreciatively. "Nice touch."

" _Indeed. Tales of dead humans amuse me so_."

"Me too," Kris chuckled before realizing something. "Hey, you didn't say 'meatbag' this time!"

" _..._ _going into standby mode_."

"Love you too," Kris remarked at the PokéDex, happy to one-up the thing for once.

"I raised Dragalge from a tiny Skrelp, and only about two weeks after I got it, it evolved!" Iris narrated to everyone, Lyra taking a picture of it. "Isn't it cute?"

"Eugh, no," Brendan said, prompting May to slap him on the head. "Ow! I mean, well, from a certain perspective..."

"You've trained it well," Lyra observed. "And that might be the fastest I've heard anyone evolve a dragon-type. Have you bottled any of its poison to use against your enemies?"

"Um, well, not yet, anyway..."

"What's going on with Stern?" Kris asked Ivy, who was relaxing on the bench slightly away from everyone, a cigarette in her mouth and eyes fixed at staring the sea, having most likely seen the Dragalge a million times by now.

"He's a real big shot now, even to people outside Slateport," Ivy said, still staring at the sea for some reason. "The submarine and the pod are just about ready, so no doubt they'll be putting him into the news around the whole country. Feel free to go see him if you want – I think the interview is about to wrap up."

"Oh, I _definitely_ wanna see the submarine!" May said enthusiastically.

Iris withdrew Dragalge, and together, the five left Ivy to smoke and apparently contemplate her life as they headed back to the harbor's entrance. There was still a crowd around the harbor, but not as big as before. Kris and the group inches as close as possible to hear the interview without butting in the way.

"...yes, indeed," they heard Stern say nervously. "We intend to, um, move ahead with our exploration."

"Amazing, Captain Stern," Gabby said in fake fascination. "Well, I'm sure the nation wants to know, what do you intend to find with this amazing new submarine?"

"Well, that's the interesting part," Stern said dryly, prompting Gabby to roll her eyes, clearly expecting more crowd-pleasing answers, "it's not actually a submarine but a sub _mersible,_ but I digress. Now, as for what we want to f-"

" _ **HELLO?**_ _ **IS THIS ON? COME ON, YOU ALL CAN HEAR ME OUT THERE, RIGHT?**_ _ **I WANT**_ _ **SOME GOOD, PANICKED REACTIONS, PEOPLE!**_ "

Everyone looked around them wildly, looking for the source of the suddenly blaring voice addressing them. It was very rough, static-y and ear-splitting, seeming to come from a very old and badly wired but also very massive loudspeaker.

" _ **THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! ATTENTION, WORTHLESS SCUM! FROM THIS DAY ONWARD,**_ _ **YOUR SUBMARINE BELONGS TO TEAM AQUA! DO NOT WORRY, IT WILL BE USED FOR SOMETHING FAR BEYOND ANYTHING YOU PEONS COULD ACCOMP**_ _ **LISH. BEFORE THE DAY IS THROUGH, YOU ALL WILL SEE A NEW, BETTER WORLD. WELL, THOSE OF YOU WHO MANAGE TO AVOID DROWNING, THAT IS. TA!**_ "

"Oh, not this crap again," Kris grumbled.

"Team Aqua?!" Gabby exclaimed. "Ty, keep rolling, this is far more interesting than that nerd stuff!"

"Hey!" Stern protested. "Well, on second thought..."

"Hold on a second, it's Lyra!" Gabby yelled and pointed at the girl in question, who wasn't to keen when Ty turned the camera at her. "She'll save us from Team Aqua! Go on ahead, hero from Johto! We're counting on you!"

Lyra looked like a panicked kid who had just been caught drawing on the walls or something. Kris, however, relished in the situation.

"Well, go on, 'hero from Johto'", she said cruelly as she pushed Lyra towards the harbor. "We'll be right behind you!"

Lyra let out a nervous laughter, but with the camera pointed at her and a crowd of people cheering for her and chanting her name, she had little choice.

"Well, come on gang!" Lyra boasted. "Let's head inside and drive those evildoers out of there!"

"Yes, let's get in!" said Captain Stern, who followed Lyra, Kris and the others inside. "If they've done anything to my submarine..."

Lyra let her Typhlosion, Scorch, out of its Poké Ball the moment she entered, Kris doing the same with Croc and May with Blaziken. Indeed, inside, Team Aqua grunts were packing inside the completed submarine that sat in the pool of water, ready to head off towards the ocean.

A bearded man wearing a blue bandanna stood in the middle of the room, talking into a headset that amplified his voice to an unbearable degree.

" _ **YOU'RE TOO LATE TO STOP US!**_ " his voice boomed even though he only stood a few yards away. " _ **I AM ARCHIE, THE LEADER OF TEAM AQUA, AND YES, MY CHEST IS REALLY DAMN BUFF! ALSO, I**_ _ **WANT**_ _ **YOUR SUB**_!"

"We can hear you without that!" Kris yelled at him, hands on her ears. "Stop it!"

" _ **STOP IT? WHY? YOU DO REALIZE I'M FRICKIN' EVIL, RIGHT?**_ "

But Archie apparently grew weary of it, and tossed the headset away as he started retreating towards the sub.

"Oh, well, might as well," he gloated. "Let no one say I'm not cordial!"

"Well, I'm not!" May yelled at him. "Blaziken, get that creep! Use Blaze Kick!"

May's Blaziken charged at Archie, the ends of its feet set ablaze as it jumped towards Archie, only to be rebuffed when something emerged from the pool of water: a Sharpedo, who took the hit like it was nothing and knocked Blaziken backwards with a Skull Bash attack.

Archie cackled maniacally and jumped on top of the submarine, closing the hatch behind him while his Sharpedo jumped back into the water. Apparently they knew how to operate the sub, as it seemed to be already running, and submerged before anyone could stop it, disappearing as it sped away from the harbor and to the seas.

"Damn it!" Stern wailed. "The second submarine down the drain! Now we have to start _again_ from scratch, those ************!"

"Language!" Brendan scolded. "You're on TV!"

Indeed, Gabby and Ty rushed into the harbor, followed by Dock and Mr. Briney, Peeko flying in tow as usual. Lyra decided to play it to the cameras.

"Oh, curse it, they got away!" she said and patted a confused Scorch on the back. "Oh, well, good effort, Scorch. We drove them out real nice!"

"This is great!" Gabby said oddly cheerily as she turned to face the camera. "Moments ago, the Submarine Explorer 2 was stolen by the criminal organization that has long plagued our great region, Team Aqua! But the fears of sea-nerds and stockholders everywhere can be put to rest, as the hero from Johto, the one who shall pull us out of this darkness, Lyra, has promised to retrieve the submarine and give Team Aqua what for!"

"What?!" Lyra exclaimed, her voice rising a few octaves as she said it. "I have?!"

Seeing her opportunity, Kris stepped in.

"Yes, she has!" Kris assured the news crew. "And we'll support her the best we can! Go, Lyra, the hero from Johto and... all that. Tell your viewers that – but could you leave us be for now, Lyra has to formulate a plan for us!"

"Kris," Iris hissed.

When Kris didn't listen, Iris pulled Kris slightly away from the others, letting Lyra, May and Brendan worry about placating Gabby and Ty.

"What are you doing?" Iris whispered.

"This is a golden opportunity," Kris countered, her mind running wild with scenarios, each one of them working for her favor. "We'll go in and take on that gang, and when Lyra utterly fails to do anything against them, it's time for us to step in. This could be my ticket to cash and glory!"

"Yours?" Iris wondered.

"Yeah, I said _ours_ , you heard me," Kris whispered quickly. "Just leave it to me."

As Kris turned away from Iris, who still didn't look satisfied, Gabby and Ty had left while Captain Stern looked at the gang, desperation in his eyes.

"You'd really do that for us?" he asked, focusing mostly on Lyra. "Thank you, you heroic people! Thank you so much! Dock! Go run off and inform the navy about this, but tell them not to worry too much – Lyra's got this one, after all."

"Um, no," Lyra said meekly. "No need to tell them that..."

Dock saluted Stern and ran out of the harbor before Lyra got a chance to stop him, though. As he was gone, May suddenly yelled out and pointed at something in the corner.

A lone Team Aqua grunt had been hiding behind some boxes, but as the group spotted him, he tried to scurry away. He didn't get far, though, as something emerged from seemingly out of nowhere: a person, it seemed, who stopped the grunt's advance and pinned him to the ground.

The group ran to this person, and Kris recognized the tall, athletic brunette immediately.

"Oh, hi guys!" Hilda said casually like she wrestled down people all the time, the Aqua Grunt struggling in vain under her. "We heard about what happened – lot of chatter about it around the town."

"'We'?" Kris wondered.

Someone else rushed into the harbor, too, using a rear entrance, apparently. It was Wes, badly out of breath as he dashed into the room.

"Hilda, I think I saw that guy!" he yelled. "He was getting into a bus heading to Fallarbor – oh. Hi, everyone!"

"Do shut up, Wes," Hilda snapped, to which Kris was grateful for. "Yeah, we've been trying to find Team Aqua's lair ever since I screwed the Poochyena on a mission. We searched for weeks, until we finally found it early this morning outside Lilycove. Too bad it was empty by then, but we did manage to find a convenient note by their fridge – and then _this_ guy right outside the city."

Hilda twisted the hapless man's arm up, almost popping his shoulder out of its socket.

"I'll talk!" the Aqua Grunt wailed. "I never said I would resist, anyway!"

"I know," Hilda said nonchalantly. "Where were you guys planning on heading?"

"I don't know that!" the grunt cried. "My alarm didn't work that morning and that note only said that the lair had been evacuated and that the 'moment of triumph' would go down in Slateport! That's all I know!"

"Well didn't you guys talk about your plans before that?" May asked.

"Yeah – I think," the grunt groaned. "I forgot to attend the big speech Archie had a few weeks ago. But, uh, I know Team Aqua is dedicated to expanding the world's seas and making this planet a better place – OW!"

"We wanted more than just the party line!" Hilda said ruthlessly as she twisted the man's arm some more.

"Didn't Archie say something about 'those who manage to avoid drowning'?" Iris pondered. "Are they going to flood Hoenn or something? Can they actually do that?" she asked Captain Stern.

Stern contemplated the question. "Well we _are_ an island," he said thoughtfully. "But to actually bury the whole region underwater... I suppose they _could_ do something to that effect by detonating an extremely powerful explosive underwater near the coast, but why would they do that? And how'd they get their hands on something that powerful? Besides, even that couldn't flood the _whole_ region."

"Here's another theory," Kris suggested. "They're deluded and crazy."

"Hey!" the grunt complained, but Hilda put her knee on the man's neck, blocking his airways to stop him from talking.

"The most likely case is that they just stole the submarine to draw attention to their screwball cause," Kris theorized. "We've taken them on before, haven't we? And what did they accomplish at the Granite Cave? Or by trying to steal the Devon package? Or at the Weather Institute?"

"Back there, they were trying to steal some Pokémon who could predict the weather," Lyra said. "How that would aid their cause is up to anyone's guess..."

"Well, Alder seemed to take them seriously enough to allow me to guard the Blue Orb in case they stole it," Hilda said, "but besides that, I'm with Kris here. I want to stop those freaks!"

"Hey, whoa, hold on a minute!" Brendan spoke up, having been more concerned with posing for the camera before. "These guys are sort of the like the guys we fought at the Meteor Falls, right?"

"Yeah, and we beat them, what's your problem?" May wondered.

"This is bigger than that time," Brendan insisted. "Kris, didn't that Steven guy leave you information on how to contact him in case of, oh, I don't know, _stuff like this happens_?!"

May slapped Brendan on the cheek.

"Calm down!" she yelled.

"Wow, you really enjoy smacking him," Iris commented.

"Yyyeeaaah, he did," Kris said evasively, trying to think of something to say to that. "But, see, with everything we've done against Team Aqua, there _really_ can't be that many left active, right? We don't need to bother ol' Stevie with something like this."

"Kris," Iris said, "you really should-"

"That's the spirit, lass!" Mr. Briney spoke up, making the others flinch – they'd forgotten he was even there. "We shouldn't waste time arguin' about it, we should be in hot pursuit! And since our hero Lyra has volunteered so bravely, what do you say me and Peeko take you to them with my ship?"

"Thank you!" Kris said. "We're in your debt!"

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Iris commented, "but something tells me things are about to get real nasty if I don't come along..."

"Well, _I_ think this is a terrible idea," Brendan commented, "and I _don't_ want to come along at-"

"You're coming," May said as she pulled Brendan by the ear, "and I'm right with you. I've had enough of these Team Aqua freaks."

Hilda let go of the Aqua Grunt, who looked completely lost and unsure of what to do.

"No way you're going without me," Hilda said. "You'd get your stupid asses killed without me there, anyway."

Kris looked at Wes expectantly, and Wes replied with an uncharacteristically somber nod and a slight smile.

"Right behind you, Kris," he said.

Everyone looked at Lyra for guidance. Put on the spot, Lyra started sweating, her eyes shifting between everyone in the group, but with Captain Stern looking at her in a particularly begging way, she sighed in resignation.

"Let's go, then," she moaned.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Route 128, Hoenn** _

_**A while later...** _

An armada of ships was posted not too far from Ever Grande City. Sailors as well as water- and fighting-type Pokémon ran around the decks, everyone seeming to prepare for a big battle.

Captain Cutter, the man in command of the armada, stood on the bridge of the largest ship, staring through the window silently as he leaned against his sword. The old captain had assumed he'd never take place in a battle again, yet he was the first they called during his vacation in Hoenn.

A sailor ran to him, whispering something to his hear, which he just simply nodded to and looked out the window, to the side of the ship. Indeed, as he had been told, a tall, blue-haired man in a fancy white suit was riding a Milotic and heading towards the ship, waving at it cheerfully.

Wallace, the Hoenn League Champion, was accepted aboard the ship and taken to the bridge to talk with Cutter. The captain passed Wallace a pair of binoculars so he could assess the situation on the border of sea routes 128 and 127.

"Whoa, nice going!" he praised. "You sank quite a few of their ships already."

"Those are _our_ ships, I'm afraid," Cutter said dryly. "The ones farthest from us are Team Aqua's."

"Really?" Wallace wondered, though he sounded more curious than disapproving. "But there's only three of them."

"We originally had to stop because a cluster of Wailmer and Wailord had blocked the bay," Cutter explained, and Wallace nodded approvingly. "Turns out Team Aqua had them set there for us. Once we were trapped, this _thing_ swooped in from the sky and attacked our ships. Eventually we had to retreat, and at the moment, they have us locked in a stalemate. Same with our ships at Sootopolis, Mossdeep, Lilycove and even Slateport, according to a report I received ten minutes ago. Whatever it is that Team Aqua's doing, looks like they'll have complete privacy for it."

"Hmm, not necessarily," Wallace commented. "If one or two small vessels left Slateport before they blocked their harbor, they could have gotten through. What's this _thing_ you spoke of?"

"Take a look," Cutter harumphed and pointed at the horizon.

Wallace zoomed in closer with the binoculars until he finally saw what Cutter was talking about. A large Pokémon shaped like a red and white plane was flying around, shooting blue spheres of energy around seemingly at random, destroying rocks and shipwrecks on its path as if it didn't realize it had already done the worst it could.

"Oh _myyy_ ," Wallace mused. "Who'd a thunk it?"

"You know that thing?"

"Yes, and I know _someone_ who'd very much like to see it in the flesh. A few people, actually. Do you need me for anything more, or can I go make a call?"

Cutter nodded, allowing Wallace to leave. It didn't take long for the captain to leave the bridge as well, leaving his second-in-command in charge and retreating to his cabin. He wasn't at all surprised to see someone waiting for him in his chair, however.

"Captain Cutter," remarked Cheren, feet carelessly up on the captain's table. "I have an assignment for you."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Around Route 129, Hoenn** _

Mr. Briney's boat shot across the waves, and in one hour, had already passed Pacifidlog Town, a little one-Horsea village constructed entirely on wooden rafts, built on top of a colony of Corsola. There, the group stocked up on supplies and continued towards where the locals had seen some of Team Aqua's ships head to. While Iris was explaining the specifics of her precious new Dragalge to a vaguely interested Wes, Hilda's Emboar was sparring with May's Blaziken on the deck despite Briney's protests and Lyra stared nervously at the horizon, not discussing or associating with the others.

To escape the oddly harsh sunlight that had seemed to just intensify throughout the day, Kris and Brendan went below the deck, Brendan being much more subdued than usual. Below deck, Shrew was running around, playing with Peeko, its claws unintentionally causing great damage on the furniture

"Thanks for coming along," Kris said sincerely while wiping some sweat off her forehead. "Ugh, you'd think the wind would help level this heat a little, but no, it's still bad. How do you people deal with this?"

"Well I usually just stay inside," Brendan muttered. "You know, sewing, studying new Contest moves, reading, that kind of stuff. And it's not a problem – I doubt May would have let me stay in Slateport, anyway. I don't know what she expects me to do, though."

Kris decided not to say anything to that. She just had to marvel at Brendan's cluelessness. They had traveled together over a month (thought it felt more like three months) and Kris hadn't seen Brendan pick up any signals.

"Yeah, speaking of," Kris said delicately. "I know you guys are... close friends, but she really does seem to like smacking you around. And she has this weird issue with Coordinators."

Brendan sighed. "Yeah, she's probably still mad about the time we've met."

"Oh, when you offered to make her clothes?" Kris asked, then realized her mistake as Brendan raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh, uh, May mentioned something about that when I asked her about her shirt... and stuff... I think... go on!"

"Well, my dad wasn't doing well with the Pokémon Association, as he had originally failed one of their aptitude tests in Johto years ago," Brendan explained. "You could say things got even more out of hand when a wild Salamence attacked me and May that day. I was taking care one of my dad's Pokémon and had no choice but to use it to fight Salamence off – though May kind of beat me in that regard as she was fighting that thing with rocks and a sharp stick."

Again, nothing could surprise Kris at this point.

"We managed to ward it off together, but I was careless. It was one of the first times I've ever battled, and I'd been studying about it before, and I did pretty well, but it still got my dad's Linoone as well as myself hurt. Dad got in some hot water with the Association and almost lost his job, so I wanted to forget the whole thing, but May insisted I became a Pokémon Trainer and tried to keep reminding me of this. I just... wanted to forget it ever happened."

"You fought a Salamence off with a _Linoone_?!" Kris said, impressed, not really interested in the other parts. "You?! That's amazing!"

Brendan shook his head. "No it wasn't. Did you miss the part where we got hurt? And May almost... no. I _hate_ fighting."

Kris felt even worse for having Brendan dragged along for this. But that feeling didn't last long. Instead, Kris just became annoyed at their stupid drama. Unable to think of anything to comment on, Kris switched on her PokéGear radio:

"... _to be the hottest_ _day_ _in_ _Hoenn in_ _years. The cause for today's heat-wave is still unspecified, but has already been reported to be an issue of concern by the Hoenn Weather Institute._ _Aaand this just in... continuing our special report on th_ _e crisis in east Ho_ _enn._ _The Hoenn Maritime Self-Defense Force_ _and_ _the Coast Guard have reportedly issued a_ _warning to all civilian ships in the area to evacuate immediately._ _Ports_ _in Slateport, Mossdeep, Sootopolis, Lilycove and Ever Grande have been_ _entirely_ _sealed off._ "

Kris and Brendan flinched and Kris turned the radio off as they heard Mr. Briney shout from something from above deck:

" _Young'uns,_ _you mig_ _ht_ _want to_ _gather on deck_ _to take a look at this_!"

Kris whistled at Shrew, who followed her and Brendan above deck, where Iris, Lyra, Wes, May and Hilda were all gazing at something in the horizon. They had apparently crossed to the western portion of Route 128, according to Kris' map, and were very close to Sootopolis City, in an area difficult to navigate due to a thick cluster of small islands and tall rocks sticking out of the water.

Mr. Briney was at the helm, Peeko flying on his shoulder again. He was watching at something in the distance with a telescope.

"I see four ships gathered around a flat, barren island," Briney announced. "Either that's them or a particularly persistent bunch of Unovan tourists on a fun cruise... who apparently like to dress up as pirates."

"It's them," Kris said grimly and turned to face the others. "Okay, gang, I heard from the radio that we have the navy and the coast guard on our side, so there's no need to fear. But if we strike now, we'll look like heroes, and we'll get statues built for us, streets named after us and our faces will be plastered in worthless merchandise for decades even after we're gone!"

"You think about this way too much," Iris said. "Did you call Steven?"

"Hm? Oh... the line was busy. My PokéGear phone doesn't work way out here. It went to his voicemail. Something like that – just look! We don't need him. We're _us_! We fought them _and_ Team Magma _and_ many of us fought Team Rocket and Arceus knows what else. We took on the frickin' Masked Man!"

"Who's that?" May muttered at Brendan, who could only shrug.

"I mean, just look at them!" Kris continued to rant. "Look at their clothes! Look at their plans! They suck! We don't! Are we the prey? No! We are the hunters! And every time we run into them, it's usually _them_ interrupting _our_ fun times. Well not anymore! _We're_ going on the offensive! Didn't any of you watch episode 78 of Proteam Omega?"

"No," said Iris.

"No," said May.

"Nuh-uh," said Brendan.

"Nope," said Wes.

" _Caw_!" offered Peeko.

"Yes," said Lyra. "Uh, I mean, no."

"What is that, anyway?" wondered Briney.

"Who cares?!" snapped Hilda. "You're right, Kris, now sit down, be still and get out there!"

"What?"

"I mean, let's get going!" Hilda ranted, took out one of the three Poké Balls attached to her vest and tossed it in the water.

Hilda's Samurott was quick to come out, and without looking back, Hilda jumped on its back and started sailing towards the island and Team Aqua. Not wanting to be left in Hilda's shadow, May did the same with Wailmer, forcing a reluctant Brendan to follow suit with Swampert. Wes opened a Poké Ball of his own, letting out his Pidgeot, who allowed Wes to climb on its back. Before kicking off to the sky, Wes glanced at Iris.

"You want a lift?" he asked. "It won't bite."

"Yeah, but he probably will," Kris warned Iris, but Wes brushed it off.

"Aww, that's nice, but no thanks," Iris said cheerfully. "I'm about to put Dragalge to the test!"

" _That_ thing?" Kris wondered. "Iris, you _do_ know it's really poisonous, is it a good idea to ride on its-"

But Iris had already let Dragalge out into the water and jumped carelessly on its back. Kris winced as Iris touched the weird, leaf-like things sticking out of the Dragalge's back, but Iris didn't seem bothered at all, she and Dragalge just rode confidently after the others. Wes gave Kris a brief, annoying thumbs up and followed suit with Pidgeot, flying above the other four.

As Kris let Croc out, Lyra slapped her forehead in an exaggerated way.

"Oh, _dear_ me!" she exclaimed. "To make some room for Hoenn Pokémon, I left Starmie _and_ Braviary back in New Bark Town. How thoughtless of me! Guess I should stay on the ship, heh..."

Kris sighed.

"Guess that means you're riding with me," she said.

Lyra looked confused. "Huh?"

"As in _on_ Croc," Kris said impatiently. "I mean – ah, damn it! Just don't think about slipping out of this one like you did on Mt. Silver! I don't remember seeing you help me fight the Masked Man!"

"Uh, I was busy with Team Rocket at Ilex Forest, remember?" Lyra said obnoxiously in a 'duh' kind of way. "You know, doing what _you_ bragged you did. Plus I got to see Celebi – does that mean I win?"

"Are you coming or what, ' _hero from Johto_ '?" Kris asked exasperatedly.

"All right," Lyra said and followed Kris as they both jumped on Croc's back – the Feraligatr didn't mind the extra weight, but was clearly confused as to why Lyra was there. "Hey, maybe it'll be fun!" she said in a suddenly perky voice. "When was the last time we did anything together?"

Kris grumbled something under her breath. However, when Shrew climbed on the boat's railing and was about to jump down after its owner, Kris quickly yelled at it to stop.

"Sorry," she told the little ground-type. "But I just thought... I don't think you'll do too well in an aquatic environment. Maybe you should stay with Mr. Briney."

Seeing that, however, made Mr. Briney say something to his Wingull. Peeko nodded at Briney, flew towards Shrew and picked the Pokémon, carrying it around effortlessly.

"It's not much, but I'm sending Peeko out with you!" Briney yelled up from the helm. "Good luck!"

"Thanks!" Kris yelled back. "Just drop the anchor here – we'll be fine!"

"Oh, we will?" Lyra asked nervously, sitting behind Kris and holding on to her uncomfortably tightly. "Well, I guess I don't have anything to worry about, then..."

Kris, Lyra and Croc sailed over to the others along with the Shrew-carrying Peeko. They hid behind a large rock, all whisper-quiet, staring at the island full of Aquas on the horizon.

"Any plans?" Iris whispered. "Because I think they'll see us no matter what direction we come from."

"We fight," Hilda said simply.

"Kind of foolhardy, don't you think?" Brendan asked nervously. "I mean, we really should come up with a-"

"We fight," Hilda repeated. "Because they're coming."

Indeed, it seems they had been spotted, as three Aqua Grunts, two of them riding a Carvanha and one of the standing on a Wailmer like it was a surfboard, were speeding their way. Without thinking of warning the others, Hilda and Samurott charged at them.

"Razor Shell!" Hilda ordered.

Before the Aqua Grunts could come up with moves of their own, they were greeted with the sight of a young woman riding a samurai otter screaming at them as the Samurott pulled a sword from the scabbard on its foreleg, slashing at the opposing Pokémon with them. If that wasn't enough, Hilda herself jumped off Samurott and tackled the Aqua Grunts into the sea, wrestling them down one by one. The others could just stare at this display.

"Wow," Lyra said. "Just who _is_ she?"

"Um, everyone," Brendan said weakly. "What do we do about them?"

As Kris looked behind her, past the cowering Lyra, she saw two more Carvanha-riding Aqua Grunts trying to flank the group.

"Well use your damn imagination!" May scolded. "Wailmer, use Surf!"

"Uh, right... Swampert, what she said!"

Both Wailmer's and Swampert's eyes briefly glowed blue as they both summoned a giant wave that crashed on the Aqua Grunts, knocking both the Pokémon and their trainers off-balance and sent them drifting about a hundred feet away.

"Nice one!" Kris praised, then let out a panicked scream and ducked as something whizzed past her ear and crashed into the water, making a big splash.

The explanation was soon found: one of the Aqua boats had broken off from formation and was now making its way towards them, its cannon pointed at them. Kris was at loss of what to do, but Iris smiled at her reassuringly as she and Dragalge charged at the ship without regard.

"All right, Dragalge, do your thing!" she yelled.

Swimming so quickly Iris had trouble keeping her grip, Dragalge dodged another cannon shell and opened its mouth, blasting the boat with a big glob of purple slime. It exploded upon contact with the boat's hull and quickly ate its way into the boat, making a massive hole. As the grunts jumped out, Hilda and Samurott were quick to deal with them, knocking them unconscious and tossing them on one of the many flat rocks around them.

About four more Wailmer-riding Aquas had approached the group under the boat's cover and tried to attack Iris and Hilda, but didn't spot Wes and Pidgeot until it was too late: Wes commanded Pidgeot to use Whirlwind, blowing the Aquas off their Pokémon, allowing Dragalge and Samurott to finish off the confused Wailmer.

However, another ship and several other Aqua Grunts were already making their way towards them, and the group was quickly outnumbered.

"Kris!" Iris yelled. "You and Lyra go on ahead! We'll draw the heat off you!"

"Sounds good to me!" Lyra remarked.

Kris didn't feel right leaving the others like this, but with more Team Aqua coming from every direction, it was not like there were any other options.

_And when Lyra chickens out... that's my time to shine._

Using the rocks as cover, Kris, Lyra and Croc sailed towards the island in the distance, now free of Team Aqua boats. They popped from one cover to the next, but Kris soon noticed that Wes was following them, not doing any of the sort but flying along with his Pidgeot in plain sight. As annoyed as Kris was at Wes, now was not the time to yell at him. Peeko and Shrew were also following, though they flew low enough to stay under the radar.

Eventually, they reached the island - or more like a big, flat rock - where Archie, Shelly and a few Aqua Grunts remained, Archie not even looking at annoyed when Kris and Lyra disembarked from Croc's back and stepped on dry land. The submarine was there and the one-person submersible pod had been detached and lifted on the edge of the water. As Croc stepped on the land, it immediately growled at Shelly, who had procured another spear from somewhere.

"Oi!" she yelled and readied the spear. "Keep that thing away from me or I'll stab it through the neck, I swear on me mum!"

"Well, you know those Feraligatr," Kris said as she leaned against the big water-type confidently. "Processed meat just isn't gonna do for long. Croc hasn't eaten anything raw and moving in a loooong time."

"So," Archie said cheerfully. "What brings you here?"

"Could you maybe first answer what _you're_ doing here?" Kris retorted. "Like, what was the big plan? Come out here and say 'neener-neener, we've got your submarine'?"

"Submersible," Archie corrected.

"Whatever!" Kris snapped. "And you do realize they've completely trapped you here and you're outnumbered, like, ten-to-one, even if you brought _all_ of your members here."

"Really?" Archie asked cheerfully and grinned. "They all came to see us perform? How adorable!"

"Wow, you really are crazy," Lyra said, sounding much less worried now. "You were right, Kris, these people won't last long if we work together! And by that I mean, stand back, watch and help me if needed!"

"Ah, I take it you're the one who caused us trouble at the Weather Institute," Archie told Lyra like he was having a cup of tea with her.

"That's right," Lyra said confidently. "And you're right to feel that fear creeping in," she continued as she grabbed a Poké Ball. "'Cause it's time to b-b-b-battle-"

Lyra couldn't even finish her sentence as a Crawdaunt emerged from the water, grabbed her leg with its pincers and pulled her into the sea so quickly that all Kris could hear was a surprised shriek before Lyra was underwater.

"Holy crap!" Kris exclaimed in panic. "Uh, Croc, go help her!"

Croc glanced in Shelly's direction, its stomach practically rumbling at the thought of a good meal, but obeyed and dived into the sea. Kris quickly grabbed another Poké Ball and sent out her Chandelure before she suffered the same fate. Archie took a step back, allowing Shelly to send out her Sealeo.

"Ice Ball!" Shelly yelled.

"Flamethrower!" Kris ordered.

As Kris and Shelly battled, Archie addressed Tabitha, who was just finishing up loading all the remaining Aqua Grunts into the submarine.

"Get down there," Archie ordered as Tabitha himself was climbing in. "Take good care of this."

Archie was about to hand Tabitha the Blue Orb when Wes and Pidgeot swooped in. However, Archie could see them coming from the corner of his eye and ducked just in time, Wes' extended hand only able to grab air.

"Aww, dammit!" Wes cursed and quickly flew out of range as Archie's Sharpedo emerged from the water and fired an Ice Beam at Pidgeot.

"Take two!" Archie exclaimed cheerfully and handed the Blue Orb to Tabitha.

The henchman saluted and closed the hatch behind him as he entered the submarine. Soon enough, it submerged and disappeared from sight. As Archie turned back to the fight, Chandelure had knocked Sealeo out with a well-placed Energy Ball attack.

"Oh, Shelly!" Archie admonished. "You couldn't last for at least five minutes?"

"She had a type advantage, sir!" Shelly complained. "I couldn't do sod!"

"Oh, well, never mind," Archie smirked as he gazed up at the sky. "Our friend is coming back."

Kris looked too – and had to a double take to make sure she wasn't dreaming. A Pokémon unlike she had ever seen before was approaching the island, flying away from the brightly shining sun, which caused Kris some problems. It looked like a silent jet plane was flying towards them, but Kris couldn't see any of its other features due to the light, so she called SkrillDex for help.

However, all SkrillDex could get was static. Even its normally sassy speech was just a garbled, incoherent mess.

"What is that?!" Kris asked Archie.

But Archie crossed his arms and just laughed. This time, he didn't even notice Peeko and Shrew flying directly towards him, Shrew managing to swipe him across the face. Kris tried to warn them to get away, but Archie was quicker and backhanded Peeko, sending the little Wingull flying away and causing it to drop Shrew. Kris managed to catch the Sandshrew just before it hit the water, and as soon as Shrew saw what was approaching, it hid behind Kris' leg, shivering.

Kris didn't get it. It had been a scaredycat before, but considering Shrew had faced the likes of Mewtwo and lived to tell the tale, this one couldn't be too-

_Why is everything shaking?_

Alongside the plane-like Pokémon, something else was coming, but from below instead of from above. The island shook as it rose from the sea, causing everything to rumble and quake. And it was _big_. Its red, armor-covered body reminded Kris of the _kaiju_ from the movies she used to watch day and night with Lyra. As it finally stood at full height, apparently having risen along with a gigantic rock that kept its body above the water, it was around forty feet in height, with massive white spikes all over its body and claws about as long as Kris' legs, four in each massive hand. It even had a wide, equally spiky tail that was bigger than Kris herself was. Kris was reduced to a shivering mess just like Shrew as she looked in the Pokémon's empty yellow eyes that stared down, as if Kris and the others were just insects for it to squish.

Even Shelly looked terrified, but Archie just laughed at the sight of it.

"I'd like you to meet my friend," he told Kris. "Filthy meddling kid, meet Groudon! And _boy_ am I glad to drop this stupid politeness act. Groudon! Hear my words! Obliterate these nuisances for me!"

Kris was too scared to ponder her options, not even able to think about jumping into the water and swimming away as she just stared at Groudon's eyes. Surprisingly, Groudon didn't budge, just remained absolutely still, almost like a statue, in one place.

"What gives?!" Archie yelled. " _Destroy them_ , you big mountain of useless rubble!"

" _Don't strain your voice, Archie. It will only obey my commands_."

Kris wondered where the voice was coming from – it seemed to echo inside her head instead of coming from a specific direction. But she soon caught the source: the plane-like Pokémon, who was now floating around Groudon's head. It was half-white and half-red, with a somewhat malnourished appearance and milky white pupil-less eyes. From underneath its wide wings, Kris could see small arms, the Pokémon holding a shiny red orb in one of them.

Curiously, Archie and Shelly fell on their knees at the sight of this Pokémon.

"Of course, oh powerful Latias!" Archie said sneakily as he groveled before the Pokémon. "We have confirmation that Kyogre is in a cavern directly below us! It shouldn't be long until its rise from the depths!"

" _And who are these_?"

"Undeserving humans and the Pokémon they have enslaved!" Archie said instantly. "They attempt to stop your plan, to maintain the status quo with them at the top!"

" _I see_."

With that, the plane-like Pokémon, Latias, tucked its arms in and charged at Kris with blinding speed. Chandelure floated in the way and attacked with a Shadow Ball attack, but Latias easily blocked it by enveloping its body in a protecting bubble. Then, it launched its own attack, a stream of purple fire that instantly KO'd Chandelure, forcing Kris to recall it before it fell in the ocean.

"Kris!" Wes shouted. "Pidgeot, use Body Slam!"

But Latias noticed him, and instantly shot him down with another Dragonbreath attack. It hit and knocked out Pidgeot, causing both it and Wes to fall into the ocean. As Kris watched him fall, she didn't notice Shelly sneaking up behind her. With one hit from the handle of her spear, Kris felt herself losing consciousness, first feeling her body hit the cold, hard ground before everything went dark.

Noting the fall of its trainer, Shrew tried to attack Shelly, but the Aqua Admin easily took care of the little Pokémon with a well-aimed kick that sent Shrew flying into the sea. The Sandshrew flailed around on the surface for a while, squealing in terror, before its weight dragged it underwater.

"Good job," Archie praised casually.

"Not an issue, skip," Shelly said. "What should we do with the bird?"

Archie pondered the question until his eyes hit the submersible pod just sitting uselessly nearby.

"Oh, we'll allow her to see the sights for a while," he said. "Throw her in there – should be enough air for about ten to fifteen minutes."

Shelly did as ordered, tossing Kris roughly into the pod, sealing it tightly. Next, Archie whistled at his Sharpedo. At his command, the Brutal Pokémon slammed into the pod, sending it flying for a while until it hit water again, only upside-down, sinking like a rock.

With Kris trapped helplessly inside, the pod sank into the crushing, dark depths of the ocean.


	9. Clash of the Elements, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight against Team Aqua and Latias continues, but is it possible to quell the destructive wrath of Groudon and Kyogre?

**Chapter Nine: _Clash of the Elements, Part 2_**

" _Kriiis... Kriiis..._ "

Kris didn't want to wake up, but somehow her eyes were open, anyway. She found herself standing, or floating, as it were, on top of nothing, surrounded by what seemed to be a vast sea, the surface too far to be seen. And yet somehow, Kris was able to breathe.

And was also getting a feeling of Déjà vu.

" _Kris_!"

Also, someone was calling her name. At first, Kris didn't see who – or how, considering she was supposed to be floating in some weird, vast sea. A Tentacool and a Carvanha could be occasionally seen swimming by, some light from the unseen surface making it to where Kris was, but the fish Pokémon didn't seem to pay any attention to Kris at all.

Kris was quickly distracted by what appeared next: something big materialized from thin air (or water) before Kris, who couldn't believe what she was seeing. It looked vaguely like a gigantic black bird with a red underside facing Kris, with humongous wings and a wing-like tail that were all positioned as if they were ready to grab something, as were its powerful-looking talons. As it spread its wings and tail wide open, the bird looked vaguely like a giant letter 'Y'.

" _Kris!_ " the Pokémon spoke in a voice Kris couldn't pinpoint as either feminine or masculine, high or low. It just _was_. " _I'm here to reclaim you. Your time has come_."

"M-my time?" Kris stuttered. "What do you mean?"

" _You should know_."

"Right," Kris said quietly. "My time. Sure. But, you see... that's not fair!"

" _But it is. It doesn't discriminate. And don't think for a second that you didn't bring this upon yourself. Your friends will soon follow suit_. _They could at least make a claim for unfairness, but they only have you to blame_."

"N-no!" Kris argued weakly. "I didn't mean to-"

" _And soon enough, this whole region and its 13 million inhabitants_ _will be mine._ _I should be grateful to you_."

Kris grabbed her head with her hands. She kept slapping herself to try and wake up, but it didn't seem to work. She didn't even feel the impact. And the massive Y-shaped bird kept coming closer, its talons extended.

"No!" Kris argued. "You can't just worm your way inside my head and claim that I let my friends die! There's _always_ a way out! And I... I know I screwed up, okay? But I can fix things! I can correct my mistakes! Do you hear me, you stupid, hideous crow?!"

A vision flashed before Kris' eyes: Captain Stern and all the inhabitants of Slateport, putting all their hopes in the group, only to be greeted by a massive tidal wave that crushed everything in its path.

 _No. It's not real. They're still alive, and I can make sure they stay that way_.

Now it changed to the red and white dragon, Latias, blowing up Iris and everyone else in a blink of an eye.

 _I don't care what they have planned. I will stop it_.

Kris saw Croc fighting Shelly's Crawdaunt futilely underwater, Lyra's pale, lifeless body floating nearby, Croc eventually succumbing to the Rogue's Pokémon's pincers that wrapped around its neck and snapped.

 _We will stop it_.

Shrew sinking and making one last futile gasp for air.

"I'M SORRY!"

**~o~O~o~**

Even though it was surprisingly cold where Kris ended up in, she woke up sweating, able to hear her heart beat painfully quickly. Opening her eyes, she saw no trace of wherever she had just been or the weird, red and black bird. Slowly, she sat up, rubbing the bump in her head where Shelly had hit her.

After blinking a few times, Kris could see she was in a cave of some sort, probably a thousand feet underwater, if not even deeper. It was pleasantly cool there, compared to the scorching sunlight on the surface. As Kris stood up and grabbed whatever was close by for support, she noticed she was touching the submersible pod.

_Those jerks tried to drown me. Huh._

But the pod hadn't been "opened" in the conventional sense. It looked more like something sharp had cut it open.

_Okay, I'm alive. New plan. Uhh... okay, item number one: get out. I'll come up with the rest later._

Kris' inner monologue was interrupted by a squeak coming from around Kris' knee level. As she looked down, Kris flinched at the sight of a little Pokémon staring up at her, but quickly recovered and just had to marvel at how cute the Pokémon was. It was small and black with a cone-shaped body. It had tiny, light blue eyes but a big, wide mouth with a row of sharp teeth. It looked like it was wearing a yellow cloak of some kind, and its hands and feet were small and completely smooth and spherical, lacking in any digits.

"Uh... hi there, little one," Kris said uncertainly, to which the Pokémon responded with a smile.

Since it seemed harmless, Kris went through her bag. Miraculously, everything was still there – apparently they hadn't expected her to make it. Even Chandelure's, Honchkrow's and Kirlia's Poké Balls were still there, though Croc and Shrew's were open, the Pokémon themselves missing. Kris hoped to whatever good there was left in the world that her visions hadn't been accurate. Grabbing her PokéDex, Kris scanned the little thing. SkrillDex's speech parts were apparently still messed up from whatever had caused it to go haywire before, but at least Kris could read the text now.

"Snorunt, the Snow Hat Pokémon," Kris read out loud. "Type: Ice. Their diet consists entirely of snow and ice and are the subject of several folktales in regions with snowfall, though they also inhabit remote areas hidden from the sunlight around the world. They are very social creatures and usually move in groups of five."

Kris looked at the Snorunt, who smiled at her. Those teeth were _really_ sharp indeed, as was the tip of its... head? Body? Something like that.

"Did you get me out of that pod?" Kris asked, and the Snorunt jumped in the air in joy, so Kris decided to interpret the answer in the best way. "Thank you!" she told the Pokémon.

Suddenly, there was another tremor, causing tiny pebbles to fall from the cave's ceiling. Snorunt ran closer to Kris in fear and hugged her leg in a way that reminded Kris of Shrew – only it felt like a cold glass bottle of soda was pressing itself against her leg.

"It's alright" Kris said reassuringly, though she wasn't sure if she was being honest, so she added: "I hope. I guess you were hiding from the badness going on up there, huh? But why are you alone instead of in a group of... what was it again? Oh, right, five."

Snorunt didn't seem to quite understand that question. Instead, it jumped on a nearby rock and pointed at the ceiling with its ball-like hands. Kris looked up: there seemed to be a big hole in the cave's ceiling, only blocked with a thick layer of ice. Now that Kris looked around her, there were puddles of water all over the place. The hole looked to be about the size of the submersible pod. Kris looked at the Snorunt.

"Did you do that?" she asked, and the Snorunt tilted its body forward in a way she assumed to be a nod – apparently it had dealt with humans before. "Thank you so much! You saved my li-"

Another tremor made Kris almost lose her balance. The machinery inside the pod was making a racket.

"And I guess it's time for me to repay the favor," Kris said. "What do you say, buddy?" she asked and held out her arms.

Snorunt didn't have to think twice: it jumped on Kris' arms, which made Kris wince a little – it was like carrying a box of ice cream around. The cloak protected Kris' hands from the worst cold, but the Snorunt was still pretty chilly.

And so Kris, carrying the Snorunt around, made her way deeper into the cave. There was light coming from somewhere, which meant Kris didn't have to force the undoubtedly exhausted Chandelure out. But after a couple of minutes of walking in silence, Kris heard footsteps from around the corner. They were easy to hear, the person walking not even trying to avoid the puddles of water, making splashy sounds with every step. Kris flattened herself against the wall, though with no cover anywhere and nowhere to turn, she would be spotted anyway. Looking at Snorunt, Kris wondered if she could stab whoever was coming with the ice-type's sharp head.

As whoever was coming cast their shadow on the wall, Kris charged around the corner, grabbing Snorunt and readying it like a spear, yelling all the while – only to stop as she noticed who was coming.

Though the man was wearing a Team Aqua uniform, Kris recognized the long, dark hair and big, bright blue eyes.

"Kris!" Lunick gasped. "I thought I heard someone... how did you...?"

Kris didn't attack, but didn't let go of Snorunt either. Snorunt seemed mildly confused as to why Kris was holding it like this, though.

"It's all right, Snorunt," Kris said, eyes fixed at Lunick, "but we might be in for a battle."

Lunick shook his head.

"You're not," he said simply and put his hands in the air. "I'm unarmed and I don't want to fight you!"

"I kind of lost whatever trust I had for you or anyone in your gang since your boss almost _drowned_ me!"

Lunick cringed and clenched his fists, almost shaking as he spoke.

"Archie did that?" Lunick said with a scowl. "I should have known... I've been such an idiot!"

"Yeah, I think so," Kris said bluntly. "But why this time?"

"Time is running short, so I'll give you the bridge version."

"Abridged," Kris corrected.

"What?"

"It's what you were trying to say. It means shortened – yeah, whatever, go on."

"I no longer wish to work for Team Aqua," Lunick said. "Not after all I've seen and heard, both from them and... you. Especially not after they aligned with that murdering, insane dragon Pokémon."

"You know what it is?" Kris asked. "That La... Laos..."

"Latias," Lunick said, "the Eon Pokémon. Dragon- and Psychic-type... and possibly something even more in this case. Exclusively female, less than ten existed in the world in my time, and the numbers are probably even smaller today. Highly intelligent and powerful creatures who protect nature and Pokémon. They can use telepathy, manipulate light to make themselves invisible and live for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. Why such a Pokémon would go on a killing spree and ally with these insane people eludes me."

"You sound like a PokéDex," Kris commented.

Lunick frowned. "Is that some kind of new Unovan food? A breakfast cereal of some sort?"

"Forget about that," Kris said. "But I'm beginning to understand now... somewhat. Why are you here?"

"I can operate the submarine," Lunick said. "The Rangers taught me how to use a similar vehicle. But I can't take Tabitha and all of them on my own, so I came here to try to think of a plan. And... I was kind of hoping to meet you."

"That's new for me," Kris muttered.

"I had a feeling you'd try to stop Team Aqua," Lunick said with a slight smile. "You didn't disappoint. For a while I wondered if things such as honor existed anymore."

"I doubt they do," Kris sighed. "But you're with me here and I've still got a few fight-worthy Pokémon. I don't know if I can trust you, but I have better chances if I at least give it a shot, so... lead on!"

So Kris, still carrying Snorunt, which Lunick clearly found peculiar but didn't comment on, followed Lunick as they started walking through the tunnel, towards the direction Lunick came from. Chandelure wasn't necessary, as Lunick illuminated the place with a piece of newfangled technology he called a 'flameless torch'. Kris walked slightly behind Lunick so as to avoid any nasty surprises, but found herself becoming less and less worried about him and more and more anxious about what was happening on the surface. Every once in a while, the tunnel shook slightly and she could hear loud booms from above, though Lunick seemed to be used to them.

"Is something the matter, Kris?" he asked suddenly. "You're not saying anything."

"Apart from the cataclysmic disaster going on?"

"Yes."

Kris sighed. "I can't help but to think all of this is my fault..."

"Team Aqua has been planning this thing for months," Lunick said immediately. "Maybe even years. Well before I even joined, anyway. What could you have done?"

"Well, maybe not that, but... I brought my friends and my sorta-friends here just so I could..."

Kris didn't even want to say it. Just thinking about it made her nauseous enough.

"Lunick!" she said suddenly. "You haven't seen a girl around my age and height here, have you? Brunette, dressed like a corporate mascot, kind of annoying?"

Lunick shook his head, which made Kris even more nauseous.

"Shelly's Crawdaunt grabbed her and pulled her underwater," Kris muttered. "I think the same may have happened to Croc. And I have no idea what happened to my Sandshrew. I mean, if they killed him and I wasn't there to help it... damn it."

Kris had to look away from Lunick and quickly wipe her eyes on her sleeve.

"Listen to me, Kris," Lunick said firmly, all the while keeping his eyes straight ahead and focused on the tunnel. "You came here to try to fix things even though no one told you to. Nobody is paying you for this, and yet you confronted things that even I couldn't have dreamed about back home, before the invasion, anyway. I was among those responsible for my people's safety and even I couldn't have faced an enemy as bravely as you did!"

Kris didn't say anything. Lunick hadn't seen her almost soil herself at the sight of Groudon, nor did he know anything about her motivations to do all this. His words just made her feel worse.

"And let me tell you something," Lunick continued. " _You're_ the chief reason I rebelled against Team Aqua. Talking with you in Dewford and Slateport opened my eyes: I had lost my way as a defender of the people. I was helping people who were obviously criminal while you and your friends – or whoever they are to you – were risking your neck out there, fighting us for no real reward, for no other reason other than doing the right thing. _That_ , if anything, is being a hero."

"I don't know," Kris muttered.

"Well, soon you will," Lunick said. "As for your friend and your Pokémon, you don't know if they're dead, which means there's a good chance they're not. If you have to pity yourself, at least do it _after_ this is all done. But right now, that isn't doing anything to help them."

" _Pity myself_?!" Kris snapped. "Don't talk to me like you know... just, shut up and lead the way!"

"There's the fire you need!" Lunick commented.

"Just keep walking," Kris said, but cracked her first smile in a while.

After several minutes of more walking in silence, the group finally arrived to a place where the tunnel split into several different directions. Kris and Lunick didn't have to think about where to go for long, having to take cover as three Aqua Grunts, chatting mostly about the things they would do once their 'new world' became a reality, walked towards them from another tunnel.

At the crossroads, the grunts turned left, so Kris and Lunick followed. It didn't take long for the tunnel to turn into a wide, open cavern that was completely lit; at the very top of the cave, higher than Kris could properly see, there was a large hole. Apparently the cave was an underwater mountain, the very tip of it visible as one of the many supposedly small rocks on the surface.

The three Aqua Grunts joined the rest, two more grunts and Aqua Admin Tabitha, in the middle of the cave. Sneaking in as close as they could, Kris and Lunick hid behind a rock to eavesdrop. The grunts had gathered to the shore of a large pond, like a very deep pool, right in the middle of the cave, the sunlight coming from above sparkling on its surface.

"Find him?" Tabitha asked the three grunts.

"Nah," one of them said. "He only said he was going out for a whiz – I'm not even sure that guy knows what it means."

Kris could hear Lunick trying to suppress a giggle.

"Ah, well," Tabitha shrugged. "He served his purpose, I think. If he's not out here within the next five minutes, we're leaving him down here, anyway. Not like anything can stop us at this point."

"But what about the sub?" another grunt asked.

"Pfft, I can drive it!" Tabitha boasted. "I mean, I've seen what that guy did, it ain't too hard. Now shut up and watch – this is history in the making!"

"They're going to do it," Lunick whispered.

"Do what?" Kris wondered quietly.

"I'm sure you didn't miss Groudon up there, and now they're about to summon its rival," Lunick said tensely. "Look, I'll explain later, but we have to get _that_ thing off him!"

Kris didn't have to ask what Lunick meant as she saw Tabitha take a glowing blue sphere from his pocket. It was just like the one Latias had been carrying in terms of shape and size, just... blue. And it wasn't too hard to do the math here.

"Right," Kris said. "I have to do it. My responsibility. So here goes..."

Meanwhile, at the pond, the five Aqua Grunts retreated to a safe distance as Tabitha walked over to the edge of the water, held the Blue Orb up above his head and said what were apparently the magic words:

"With this Blue Orb, I command you, Kyogre! Rise from your slumb- what the crap!"

Kris' Honchkrow flew past him just in time to grab the Blue Orb away in its beak. As it circled around the Aquas trying to grab the bird and throw rocks at it, it eventually headed back to Kris and Lunick, whom Tabitha spotted immediately.

"Oh no you didn't!" he groaned. "You..."

"Here it comes," Kris muttered and nudged Lunick with her elbow.

"...want to hog all the credit for awakening Kyogre!" Tabitha snarled. "Well that ain't happening."

"What," Kris said flatly.

As Honchkrow soared back to Kris, it dropped the Blue Orb in her hands. The five Aqua Grunts all sent out a Pokémon each, two Golbat and three Corphish. But Lunick didn't seem too bothered as he calmly grabbed a Poké Ball and sent out his Sceptile.

"Sceptile," Lunick said as he crossed his arms confidently. "Leaf Storm, please."

And Kris watched as the seeds on Sceptile's back glowed and the grass-type released a barrage of sharp, glowing leaves from seemingly out of nothing, hitting everything around them, including the Aqua Grunts, the leaves cutting through their clothing and leaving them with scratch marks and cuts all over. The three Corphish were immediately knocked out while the Golbat had to retreat, only for Sceptile to jump on one of them and wrestle them down. Kris ordered Honchkrow to help, unleashing it on the other Golbat. With all the Aquas down and Tabitha nowhere to be seen, Kris decided to make a break for it, putting Snorunt carefully on the ground.

"I guess this is where we split up," Kris told it. "You better get to safety – I gotta hide this thing somewhere."

But Snorunt stayed still and continued to stare after Kris as she turned around and made a run towards the tunnels, hoping to find a hole to stash the Blue Orb in.

 _I'm gonna make it. Just a few more steps and there'll be no more destruct_ -

"AHH!"

Something big pounced on Kris, causing her to lose her balance and drop the Blue Orb. For a second, Kris thought it'd smash upon hitting the ground, but instead it rolled away harmlessly. The one who tripped Kris, a Mightyena, ignored her and went after the orb, allowing Kris to get back on her feet.

With no thought on the stupidity of her idea, Kris grabbed the nearest rock she could get her hands on and threw it at Mightyena. To her surprise, it hit, prompting a pained squeal from the dark-type. Unfortunately, the Mightyena stopped running and turned around to growl at Kris.

"That's it!" Kris heard Tabitha yell from behind her, hearing him run towards them. "Get 'er in the throat!"

Kris took a few clumsy steps backwards, falling on her backside trying to escape just as Mightyena leaned backwards, ready to jump at Kris again, teeth exposed and-

-was flash-frozen by an Ice Beam from behind Kris. As she looked behind her, Kris was greeted with Snorunt jumping back in her lap. The frozen Mightyena didn't move at all, still stuck in the position of being about to lunge at Kris.

"You just can't help being an awesome Pokémon," Kris smirked at Snorunt. "Thanks – again. Hey!"

This distraction, however, cost a great deal. Kris saw Tabitha picking up the Blue Orb from the ground, completely ignoring the abrupt shift of his Pokémon's body temperature. Before Kris could stop him, Tabitha tossed the Blue Orb towards the pond, where one of the Aqua Grunts, also having avoided the worst excess of the Leaf Storm, was hiding behind a rock.

As the grunt caught the orb just barely, Tabitha managed to belt out: "Say the words!"

"I-have-a-blue-thingy-wake-up-Kyogre!" the grunt prattled quickly.

Kris scoffed; as if _that_ could ever work. But then, the blue orb started glowing brighter than ever before, its light almost blinding the grunt holding it and bathing the entire cave in blue light. Another tremor caused the entire cave to shake violently, everyone losing their balance and covering their heads as more debris fell from the ceiling. The water in the pond was splashing over the edges and making tremendous waves as something _very_ big emerged from it.

Though only half as tall as Groudon (meaning it still left everything else in the cave in its shadow) the big sea creature beat even Groudon's height with its width, barely even fitting in the pond that had to be at least fifty feet wide. Predictably, the massive Pokémon was blue, its two gigantic pectoral fins making more most of its width. Its body proper had a white underside, and just like Groudon was covered in black stripes running along the faults between its plates, Kyogre's body was covered in red stripes.

As Kyogre slowly opened its mouth, it let out a deep, guttural growl that, to everyone in the room, felt like being swept away by a tornado. Then, as the stripes around its body glowed bright red, massive geyser appeared from the pond, shooting up a massive amount of water and Kyogre itself, propelling it towards the surface. Everyone dropped what they were doing, Kris hastily withdrawing Honchkrow and grabbing Snorunt with both arms as she ran away to escape the crushing wave that Kyogre left behind.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Meanwhile, back on the surface...** _

For a few seconds, Wes believed he would drown there. Whatever had just come from below had caused a wave that threw everything off-balance. As Wes had struggled underwater in the ensuing twister, he had no idea which way was the surface and which way was the bottom. However, miraculously, he had managed to plop back up as soon as the waves settled. Exhausted and barely staying up, Wes had floated towards the nearest heap of dry land, not caring even if there Team Aqua standing there.

His fears were put to rest when a familiar voice called out to him, though it was all a blur to him. Wes could just feel someone grabbing his hand and pulling him on a craggy rock.

"Wes!"

Wes opened his eyes, and as he finally got his eyesight back to normal, he saw a completely soaked Iris shake him, eyes wide with concern.

"Sup?" Wes asked weakly, followed by a coughing fit.

Iris sighed in relief. "Thank goodness you're... oh no! Shrew!"

Wes wasn't sure what to feel when Iris sounded much more worried as she spotted the Pokémon Wes was holding under his other arm. May, Brendan and Brendan's Swampert were also on the rock, Brendan thinking quickly and taking off his jacket so Iris could wrap it around the unconscious, but still-breathing Shrew.

"I think he coughed the excess water off his lungs when I pulled him out," Wes muttered, "before he tried to scratch my ears off, I guess, but he wore himself out pretty quickly."

"The poor thing," Brendan said as he took Shrew from Iris.

Her hands free, Iris helped Wes sit up and hit him hard in the back, prompting another coughing fit that got the rest of the water off Wes' throat.

"'Preciate it," Wes mumbled.

"What about Kris and Lyra?" Iris asked. "Why was Shrew all alone there?"

Wes shook his head.

"Something bad happened to Lyra," he said quietly. "I was focusing on staying alive and in the air so I didn't see the whole thing, but one second she was there and then all of a sudden... she wasn't. I got blown away by that damn dragon thing before I could see what they did to Kris. I did see Shrew slowly sinking just before that huge wave appeared... what even was that thing?"

"Which one?" May asked cynically after inspecting Shrew thoroughly. "Take a look at that."

Wes turned his head, which felt like great effort in his state. A couple hundred yards from them, though still visible from even a greater distance away, two colossal Pokémon were facing off. Groudon and the big blue whale thing that had caused the tumultuous wave.

"Kyogre," Iris said, prompting Wes to look at her. "Professor Ivy told me about it. It appears in a lot of Hoenn mythology as the leviathan who created the oceans, locked in eternal struggle with its rival, Groudon, the behemoth, who created the continents. I don't have my notes with me now, but something tells me that if they face off-"

"All I have to know is that we'll be in the crossfire!" May snapped. "We have to get back to the ship and hightail it!"

"You were all for coming out here in the first place," Brendan reminded.

" _This_ is not what I agreed to!" May yelled at Brendan, gesturing at Groudon and Kyogre, who continued to stare at each other.

Wes looked at the group. He had a feeling someone was missing as he hadn't heard a familiar voice yelling at him yet. There were Iris, May, Brendan, Brendan's Swampert, even Peeko was flying in circles above them, but...

"Where's Hilda?" Wes asked quickly.

Iris bit her lip nervously.

"No clue," she said. "We were doing well against Team Aqua, but when we saw that dragon coming, we had to retreat. Hilda disagreed-"

"Of course she did," Wes grunted.

"-but that thing packs way too much power. Last we saw her, she and Samurott were fighting it, then Kyogre showed up and all we cared about was sticking together. I'm sorry, Wes, but I couldn't-"

"Iris! No one's blaming you!" May was quick to stay.

"Yeah, without Dragalge, Team Aqua's cannons would have turned us into Remoraid food," Brendan said grimly, though still smiling.

"Listen to 'em," Wes told Iris, "and I think May's right. We have to-"

But Wes was cut off by an echoing, ear-shatteringly loud sound that made everyone shudder. It took the group a while to realize it was laughter, emanating from Latias, who was flying above Kyogre and Groudon in a figure-eight pattern.

" _Yes! YES!_ " they heard her 'shout' – or however one shouted telepathically. " _Gaze upon the colossal_ _super-ancient Pokémon one last time, humans._ _It won't be long before their battle wipes out_ _this region and all the humans and treacherous Pokémon within!_ "

Meanwhile, in a different part of the area, Archie and Shelly had fled the great wave into the last Team Aqua ship still intact, three Aqua Grunts still having stuck around, despite everything that had happened. They witnessed Latias, still holding the Red Orb, order Groudon to advance on Kyogre. The behemoth slashed Kyogre with its massive claws, but Kyogre was quick to retaliate with a Hydro Pump. Groudon had to back down, creating a large rock formation around it out of nothing to shield it from the attack. Everyone in the ship gazed at the two colossal Pokémon in a mix of fear and awe, except for Archie, whose insane grin was wider than ever.

"Yes..." he whispered to himself. "I want it... I want it... it won't be long now..."

"Oi, sir!" Shelly yelled and tugged Archie's sleeve. "The lads are coming back, they are!"

Indeed, the water around the ship was bubbling, and with a mighty splash, the submarine popped back up on the surface. As the hatch opened, however, there wasn't a group of victorious Aqua Grunts, just a heavily breathing and coughing Tabitha, whom two of the Aqua Grunts pulled aboard. The third one, a tall one with his face covered by a cloak, did nothing to help, just stood and watched the situation.

"Mission..." he panted as he got clumsily on his knees. "...successful, sir!"

"We can see that," Archie said nonchalantly.

"Oi, Tabitha, you complete and utter bastard!" Shelly yelled at the other admin. "Where the bleedin' 'ell are your troops?"

Tabitha pointed at Kyogre, who managed to hit Groudon with a stream of high-pressure water. The harsh sunlight that had scorched the area all day had finally subsided and it got noticeably darker as the sky was covered in thick, dark gray clouds. It was also getting windier, causing the now-abandoned submarine to slowly drift away along with the waves.

"Well..." Shelly said awkwardly. "Their sacrifices won't be forgotten, then."

"Oh, who cares," Archie scoffed. "Tabitha, do you have the thing with you?"

Tabitha quickly took the Blue Orb from his pocket and showed it to Archie – it was glowing brighter than ever now that Kyogre had been awakened.

"Brilliant!" Shelly exclaimed. "Now we can use it to control Kyogre and scarper! Tell it to obey you, then! Go on, get cracking!"

Tabitha shook his head. "I wasn't actually the one who summoned it..."

"Then who was?"

"One of the troops who are still down there," Tabitha mumbled.

"WHAT?!" Shelly screamed. "Why didn't you bring him along? You useless git!"

"Because I was busy trying to retrieve this stupid ball!" Tabitha growled.

"It doesn't matter," Archie said smoothly. "Tabitha, keep that thing in your pocket and don't let anyone or any _thing_ see you have it. Shelly, you come with me."

"Uh... right-o, gaffer!"

Archie let his Sharpedo, one of the only usable Pokémon Team Aqua had left, out into the water and jumped out of the boat and on its back. Shelly followed suit, unsure what to hold on to.

"I have a feeling our alliance with our friend, the magical psychic dragon, may turn a bit sour," Archie told Tabitha. "You are to stay here while we draw its attention, understood?"

Tabitha saluted while Archie and Shelly headed off on Archie's Sharpedo.

Back on the rock with Iris' group, May was using a pair of binoculars Mr. Briney had given her to scan the area. There was no sight of Kris, Lyra or Hilda. However, May let out a surprised exclamation as she saw something flying towards them in the distance. As May zoomed in closer and whatever was flying approached, May noticed that it was a Skarmory, with a familiar man with steel-blue hair riding on its back. May jumped up and down and waved at him, happy to notice he waved back.

"It's him!" May said enthusiastically. "Steven is coming!"

"Oh, goody," Wes grumbled.

The rock the group had ended on was small, but they nonetheless tried to clear some space in the middle for Steven Stone to land. Instead of landing, though, Steven flew a few feet above the rock, recalled Skarmory and then jumped effortlessly down on the rock, landing gracefully without hurting himself at all.

"Careful, there's water everywhere!" Iris said.

Steven smiled. "I heard from Captain Stern that you were here," he said calmly, completely ignoring the thunderous battle between Groudon and Kyogre on the background. "I would like to know _why_ , though."

"Did Kris call you after all, then?" Brendan asked hopefully.

Steven frowned and pondered Brendan's question for a while. "No, I haven't heard anything from her," he said. "Wallace called me here and I flew straight to Slateport, then here."

Steven glanced at Iris, who didn't make eye contact with Steven and wrung her hands in embarrassment.

"Um, don't be mad at us for this, Steven," Iris said sheepishly, "but we kind of assumed we could handle it, um, on our own..."

"Why should he be mad at _us_?!" May snapped. "I'm not pointing fingers or anything, but... Kris is the one who dragged us out here!"

"Again, you volunteered," Brendan pointed out.

"Yeah, but... see, I came here to fight Team Aqua! Not the some world-destroying creatures from old fairy tales and that Laotian dragon thing!"

"Latias," Steven muttered. "She's supposed to be a peaceful Pokémon, yet according to Wallace, she was working with Team Aqua. Can I borrow those?" he asked, gesturing at May's binoculars.

May was quick to hand them over, and Steven used them to gaze at the sky, at the little dot circling around Groudon and Kyogre that was presumably Latias.

"All my life, I would have given my left leg to see either her or her brother Latios," Steven said in awe as he stared at the dragon-type. "Even a glimpse would have done it for me. But under circumstances like this... well, at least I can put my investigations to rest."

"What does that mean?" Iris wondered.

"I guess there's no point in keeping this a secret anymore," Steven sighed as he gave the binoculars back to May and looked at the group. "The Legendary Pokémon Society had been investigating the trail of Pokémon-caused murders recently. One of the dead was Sage Broderick, a member of our organization – and an attack on one of us, blah blah blah, etcetera. I really don't like using violence against a Pokémon, especially one that is supposedly a pacifistic protector of others, but something bad must have happened to her."

Steven looked around, as if expecting to see someone.

"Where is your friend, anyway?" he asked. "That Kris I gave my contact information to, I mean."

Iris looked bothered. "I have a feeling Team Aqua did something to her," she said quietly. "We haven't seen her on the surface in a while – that Sandshrew," Iris pointed at Shrew, who was sleeping, still wrapped in Brendan's jacket, "is all that's left. We haven't seen our friends Lyra and Hilda here, either. You don't suppose they-"

"If they went down there," Steven said as he turned to look at the sea, "there's a good chance they haven't drowned. There's a complex network of caverns underneath us, right at the ocean floor. The only known entrances are too deep, though, so they haven't been mapped, but it's possible there are others, as well. That's why I came here."

Steven grabbed something from his pocket and showed it to everyone: a CD case?

"Wow, that's retro," Brendan commented.

"This is the Hidden Machine for a move that they just developed at Slateport University," Steven explained. "It's called Dive. It enables a Pokémon and a human accompanying it reach even the most crushing of depths. I was hoping either Wallace or Lance would be here to use it and prevent Team Aqua from summoning Kyogre-"

"Well you're too late for that!" Wes yelled, prompting Iris to glare at her. "Sorry," he added quickly. "Guy thinks he's such a big shot, coming here to save the day..." he mumbled under his breath.

"But we can use it to save your friends," Steven said. "It's a long-shot, I know, but it's pretty much all we can do now. We need everyone that's capable of battling if we are to even have a hope of stopping Kyogre and Groudon."

"Um, what happens if we can't stop them?" Iris asked meekly.

Steven was about to answer, as he got startled by a drop of water landing on his head. As he and the others looked up, more and more started dripping, and in a few seconds, the slight rainfall turned into a heavy downpour. The wind got also stronger, Iris having to grab Shrew before it was blown back into the water.

"Oh, no," Brendan wailed. "I was just about to get dry!"

"I think you can see for yourself what will happen," Steven said. "Now, I don't have any water-type Pokémon – what about you?"

Iris and Wes shook their heads.

"I have Wailmer, but Team Aqua's Pokémon beat it pretty bad," May lamented.

Slowly, everyone turned to look at Swampert and Brendan. Swampert looked cheerful as always, while Brendan's eyes widened in terror as he pointed at himself.

"M-me?" he stuttered. "You have to be kidding! I can't do it – I'm the worst of everyone here! I-I'm not even really a trainer!"

May grabbed Brendan's hand, causing him to look at her nervously. But for once, May didn't try to smack him around until he came to his senses.

"I'll go with you," she said simply. She turned to look at Steven. "That Dive can be used by two people, right?"

"I think it can," Steven said. "It all depends on the Pokémon using it, and considering how small you two are, I'm fairly sure your Swampert can handle it. I have to warn you, though. Kyogre and Groudon's battle may trigger, or has already possibly triggered, a seismic event. The caverns could be on the verge of collapsing, so if you can't find Kris or anyone else, get out of there and fast."

"Sure thing!" May replied cheerfully.

"And another thing," Steven said gravely. "Swampert might be able to carry you two there, but even one extra person will definitely be too much. Once you go down there – there's no guarantee you'll come back."

May nodded. "I understand the risks."

"May..." Brendan said quietly.

"Hey, all you have to do is tell your Pokémon what to do," May told him, smiling cheekily. "And if you can't come along, well, I'm going to force you to trade with me, take Swampert and just get down there on my own. I have no idea if it will obey me or not, but those are pretty much our options."

Brendan still didn't look too sure.

"In fact..." May said oddly quietly, staring at her feet. "That might actually be the right thing to do now."

"W-why's that?" Brendan asked, surprised by the sudden somberness of her tone.

"I know I dragged you out here," May said. "Pretty much pressured you to come. There's no need to take anymore risks."

Brendan took a deep, quivering breath, then marched over to Steven, grabbed the CD case from him and took the blue disc out of the case and held it in the air.

"Um..." Brendan said and turned to look at May. "I actually haven't used these before. Do I need to yell out something? Like, 'disc slash' or 'Poké-modify' or something?"

"No need, just... use it on it or something," May said, smiling at Brendan's actions.

"Right," Brendan said and inhaled again. "Swampert!" he yelled boisterously. "I want you to learn... Dive!"

A flash of light occurred, and a beam of blue light left the disc and hit Swampert in the head. It didn't seem to cause anything out of the ordinary, though, but Swampert looked pretty happy.

Shrugging, Brendan yelled out: "Now use Dive!"

May held Brendan's hand with hers, and together, they jumped on the Swampert's back. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then a transparent, soft bubble appeared around them. With that, Swampert went underwater. May and Brendan prepared to hold their breaths... only to find themselves breathing just fine. They glanced at each other in surprise, then nodded determinedly as Swampert descended into further depths.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Seafloor Cavern, deep beneath the seas of Route 128, Hoenn** _

Kris was swiftly escaping the steadily rising water through the complex tunnels, desperately hoping to find an exit. She would have moved faster, but not only was Snorunt still hanging on her back, Kris was carrying an unconscious Lunick by the legs. Lunick's Sceptile was running behind her, carrying its owner from the head.

After Kyogre had blasted its way to the surface, causing another violent tremor and a crushing wall of water, Kris was about to run without a second thought, especially after seeing some of the Aqua Grunts get dragged underwater. But the wails of Lunick's Sceptile had alerted her to the fact that Lunick had gotten himself knocked unconscious. And as much as she had wanted to just leave her there, reasoning that he had chosen to join Team Aqua, she still found herself helping Sceptile carry him to safety. Well, relative safety. Stopping to help him, however, meant that Tabitha had dashed past her, and Kris was now attempting to memorize the direction he ran off to, even though she knew full well he and the submarine had to be gone by now.

Though a fortuitous rock slide had blocked the mass of water from getting away from the cave and into the tunnels, water was still flowing in from millions of holes around the tunnels, which Kris was sure were about to collapse at any moment. Though the water around them had only made her socks wet just a minute ago, she was now ankle-deep in water, and the level still kept rising.

"We're gonna make it," Kris muttered desperately to herself. "We're gonna make it!"

She repeated this mantra over and over, even though a part of her had stopped believing in it. The complex network of tunnels just kept going, Kris having no clue where she was and even if the caverns didn't collapse, a drowning would be inevitable.

The water as to her knees now.

The worst part about it all was that Kris wasn't sure if she deserved to be saved. With Kyogre, Groudon _and_ Latias up there, not to mention Team Aqua, chances that any of her friends were still alive were slim. Even if no one had said it, a voice at the back of her head kept accusing her, yelling at her for dragging all those people who had no reason to ever travel with her to their deaths.

It almost brought tears to her eyes just thinking about it, but Kris ground her tooth together and kept going. Even if she would drown by the end, she wouldn't let anyone say that she gave up or that she didn't fight to the last ounce of strength in her body.

Too bad the water was now to her waist – and Lunick was half-submerged already.

"くそ!" Kris screamed at the top of her lungs.

That made her feel better. For a few seconds, anyway. She hastily grabbed an empty Poké Ball from her bag and turned to look at Snorunt, almost hurting her neck in the process.

"Listen, you can do whatever you want," she told the ice-type Pokémon quickly. "And I don't want to force you to anything. I'm really grateful that you saved my life, but if I keep carrying you around like this, we're not gonna make it."

Kris brought the empty Poké Ball close to it.

"I would be honored if you became a part of my team," Kris said, "but you don't have to-"

To Kris' surprise, though, Snorunt happily pushed the button in the Poké Ball and was sucked inside The Poké Ball didn't shake or struggle in any way – the red light at the middle was turned off almost immediately. And with that, Kris had a new Pokémon.

_Yay, I guess._

Putting Snorunt in her bag, Kris was able to lift Lunick's legs on her shoulders, Sceptile also adjusting accordingly. Kris had to admire how the grass-type kept itself cool despite everything, though from the fact that it followed Kris without protest made her believe that it didn't have any choice in the matter, either.

"We're getting out of here!" Kris promised to it. "Let's keep moving!"

The water was now up to her navel. Kris felt like swearing some more, but decided to save the air – she would probably need it – and kept moving forward.

But as the tunnel came to an end, they only ended up in another cave with the ceiling somewhat higher, but which didn't lead anywhere else – a dead-end. Kris felt like screaming, but the cave in question was being flooded, too, water flowing in from every direction, and another tremor almost made Kris lose her balance.

"Guess we have to run – well, wade – back the way we came," Kris groaned at Sceptile. "Best get movAHH!"

Turning around, Kris' foot hit a rock underwater, causing Kris to fall and lose her grip of Lunick, whose legs went underwater. Kris recovered her balance, but the water was up to her chest, making any attempts to turn back pretty much futile. Sceptile hoisted Lunick up on its back and glanced at Kris for direction, but Kris had nothing to offer. She was through. She was done.

This was the end. On the plus side, the ceiling in the cave they were in was pretty high, so it would at least take longer for them to drown. Kris wondered if she should let her Pokémon out of their balls, give them a chance to make a run for it, but then she remembered that Chandelure had been KO'd, Honchkrow was exhausted and Kirlia and Snorunt couldn't swim.

"I'm sorry," Kris mumbled. "I'm sorry... please, forgive me..."

This was it.

But then something practically exploded up high. A Breloom burst its way through the ceiling, punching through the solid rock like it was nothing. What soon followed, along with a stream of water, were May, Brendan and Brendan's Swampert, all of them plummeting into the water near Kris.

May recalled Breloom and was quick to spot Kris, who didn't even have the energy to lift her arm and wave at them. She could just stare as the Swampert carrying May and Brendan swam quickly to her, barely hearing what May and Brendan were yelling at her.

"...und you!"

"...'re alive...!"

"...me on!"

Kris shook her head clear. No time for the whys and the hows. All that mattered was getting out.

 _Arceus, it felt good to be wrong_.

"Kris!" May snapped suddenly. "Why are Sceptile-boy and his Pokémon with you?!"

"I couldn't leave him there," Kris said. "Most of those Aqua Grunts got absolutely wrecked by Kyogre. What's going on at the surface any-"

"Bad things," May said quickly. "But seriously, why? Did you forget that Team Aqua is the reason all this is happening?"

Kris had to fight the urge to respond sarcastically – it wasn't the smartest thing to do when people were pulling your worthless butt from the fire. Water. Whatever.

"He's working against them," Kris said firmly. "He got knocked out while trying to stop them from summoning Kyogre. He failed, yes," Kris said quickly as May was about to interrupt, "but he tried. He's on our side. We _have_ to take him along."

Brendan glanced at May, nodding warily. May was obviously against it, but knew she had lost the vote. Kris grabbed a hold of whatever space Swampert had left and nodded at Sceptile, who, while still carrying Lunick, grabbed a hold of Swampert's big tail fin.

"Any ideas on how we're supposed to get out?" Brendan asked as the water level was now up to their necks.

"I have one, but it's gonna take a while to get there," Kris said hastily. "We have to swim through that tunnel. I'll give directions. We'll get out the same way Kyogre did!"

May glanced at Sceptile and Lunick in annoyance.

"If we die because of them, I'm killing both them and you, Kris!" she yelled. "Let's go, _hayaku_!"

"I don't even know what I'm doing," Brendan complained. "Onwards, Swampert! Just go where Kris instructs!"

Kris had to tighten her grip as Swampert launched itself towards the tunnel, moving at an incredible speed through the same path it took Kris ages to get through. Turning and dodging debris falling from the ceiling every time Kris ordered it to, Swampert got the group through the rising water in no time. However, the path back to where Kyogre had been was still blocked by the rocks.

"Oh you _can't_ be serious!" May complained.

"Yeah, that," Kris said, cringing at her lack of foresight.

However, Kris quickly opened one of her Poké Balls, letting out Honchkrow, who was clearly surprised to see out again, in a narrow tunnel almost flooded. It was also clearly tired by the battle and flapping its wings much more slowly than usual.

"I know you're tired, but I just need your help for a little while!" Kris promised. "I want you to get us through those rocks, then get us out of here! Can you do that?"

Though Kris almost sense Honchkrow's annoyance at the idea, it faithfully nodded at Kris. Its entire body became surrounded by a blue aura as it powered up, then flew at an amazing speed through the rocks blocking the entrance, smashing them into tiny bits. Swampert, along with everyone clinging on to it, dashed quickly through the ensuing hole before the entire tunnel became flooded.

The group was now back in the large cave where Kyoge had resided, though the water level had risen so high that it was unrecognizable. Kris could see the opening high above them, though instead of sunlight, the only thing it let in now was rain, raising the water level even faster. Kris wondered if they could just wait for the cave to be filled with water and let it lift them to the surface, but soon woke up into reality thanks to the constant crumbling of everything around them following another large tremor.

"It's raining out there?!" Kris exclaimed in surprise.

"Later!" Brendan yelled. "How we get out?!"

"Use your Altaria, for Kamisama's sake!" Kris yelled back.

"Oh, right, forgot I had that..."

Kris let go of Swampert and helped Sceptile get Lunick off its back. Pressing the button on the closest Poké Ball on Lunick's belt she could find, Kris manage to withdraw Lunick's Sceptile. Brendan did the same with his Swampert after praising it for saving their lives, then sent out Altaria.

After getting adjusted to the havoc happening around it, Altaria allowed Brendan to climb on its back. He then helped May do the same, and finally, though May clearly hated every second of it, May and Kris dragged the still-unconscious Lunick on Altaria's back, forcing May to hold him with her other hand while gripping Altaria's fluffy feathers with the other.

Hoping Honchkrow had it in it, Kris grabbed on the flying-type's legs. As Altaria soared up high and towards the exit hole Kyogre had made, Honchkrow struggled to follow it while carrying Kris. Slowly but surely they rose as bigger and bigger chunks of the cave's walls crumbled and fell down, letting more and more water in.

Finally, they reached the surface, only to be greeted with heavy rain and violent wind, the gusts whipping the raindrops painfully on Kris' face and hampering her visibility. Kris couldn't tell Honchkrow what to do, so she just had to close her eyes and hope it would take her wherever Altaria would land.

Mercifully, and after what felt like the longest time, Kris felt her feet touch solid ground. Hoping it wasn't in her head, Kris let go of Honchkrow and opened her eyes. At that exact moment, Honchkrow collapsed out of sheer exhaustion, so Kris was quick to withdraw it.

However, Kris couldn't see May, Brendan, Lunick and Altaria anywhere, not that she could see anything else of note, either, the storm constantly whipping water on her face. Even then, she could pick up the distant but clearly visible giant figures of Groudon and Kyogre, locked in their struggle. It looked like Kyogre was coming out on top, blasting at Groudon point-blank with an Ice Beam that clearly hurt the ground-type. However, Groudon was still quick to retaliate, advancing on Kyogre and grabbing it to prevent it from using its attacks, eventually leaving the two locked in a wrestling match.

Trying to figure out where she was, Kris looked down, only to then hope she hadn't and backing up fearfully. She was standing on one of the many enormous, rocky islets in the area, only inches away from falling on a cluster of jagged rocks below.

What she heard next almost made her fall again.

" _Humans. Reliable only in how utterly_ un _reliable they are_."

The voice seemed to come from inside Kris' head, blaring and echoing it so loudly that it was almost unrecognizable, though there was at least something feminine to it. Turning around, Kris saw Latias floating only about ten feet away from her, seeing her milky white, pupil-less eyes clearly, along with the chunks of its down-like feathers missing all around its body.

" _I might be wrong, seeing as all you humans look the same to me_ ," Latias said, " _but I thought I had Team Aqua kill you already_."

Kris shielded her face with her arm desperately, trying to think of which direction to run to – but could barely see ahead of her, with only Latias in front of her and a thirty-feet fall into jagged rocks behind her.

" _It's funny, isn't it. You have the capacity to do so much harm, so much evil, and yet, when it comes to destroying you – it only takes so little. Like a little, harmless breeze_."

Before Kris could say anything, Latias flew past her, creating a gust too powerful for Kris to struggle against, causing her to tumble towards the rocks below, arms flailing helplessly.

But a warm hand gripped hers just as she was about to fall. As Kris looked up, she saw Iris standing on the edge of the cliff. Kris' weight should have logically pulled her down, but her other hand was held by Wes, who himself was held back from falling, to Kris' utter shock, by Shrew. Together, the three pulled Kris back up and firmly on her feet while Latias looked on from above.

Kris tried to say something in thanks, but between her heart pounding painfully against her ribs and her lungs gasping for air, the words got kind of stuck. Iris, also breathing heavily, just smiled, brushed her long hair aside and waved her hand at Kris. This alone made Kris want to cry from happiness.

" _So many of you_ ," Latias boomed from above, prompting everyone to look up. " _Good. Vermin are easier to squish when you've rounded them up in a nice, big pile_."

Kris was desperately reaching for a Poké Ball, hearing Iris and Wes do the same next to her, but before they could do anything, it was Shrew who dashed past them, stood up on its hind legs and spread its little arms in a desperate attempt to shield them.

Kris tried to pick the Sandshrew up or to yell at it to move aside before it got blown up, only to realize that she was still in one piece as well. Latias still hadn't made her move, she just stared down at them, or at Shrew, specifically, while Shrew stood determined, not moving an inch as it stared back at Latias.

" _You,"_ Latias said oddly quietly, though everyone could still hear her even through the storm. " _How can you... you're the same as me, aren't you_?"

Kris had no idea what Latias was talking about, but Shrew just nodded frantically.

" _Then you know what it's like_ ," Latias said, sounding completely lost. " _You've suffered in the hands of these creatures like I have. Experiments, abuse, torture and worse. How can you not see what these_ things _have done to us?_!"

Shrew just stood still and did nothing, letting the rain fall on everyone as they gazed up at Latias. Kris, however, seemed to finally understand and slowly crouched to pick Sandshrew up. Though she couldn't see it, she could feel the little Pokémon's entire body shivering as she held him. Kris hugged the Sandshrew tightly, while Shrew, not wanting to slice Kris' jugular open with its claws, licked her cheek once like a Growlithe instead.

Latias didn't attack or do anything. Just stared at the ensuing scene, prompting Kris to finally address it directly.

"Shrew was one of the countless Pokémon they had imprisoned and brutally experimented on at the Navel Rock research facility," Kris told Latias, not bothering to raise her voice. "You're right, the people there did do horrible things to Pokémon in the name of questionable goals. Even I once forced him to fight when he was injured, just for personal glory. But he's saved my undeserving life more than once, and I've done the same to him. It's stupid, it's insane, and it's illogical, but hey... that's life for ya."

As Kyogre managed to whack Groudon with one of its enormous wings, lightning struck very close by at the same time, the sound of thunder nearly deafening everyone there, though Kris and Latias continued to stare down.

"I can see humans have been cruel to you," Kris continued. "I can't even imagine the pain you went through, but I can see the end result clearly: a Pokémon that dedicated her life protecting others, reduced to this. But as much as it makes me sad... if you hurt this Sandshrew, then I will _end_ you myself. I don't even care what your sob story is. And he'd do the same for me."

Latias turned its head away – Kris could almost feel a long, weary sigh emanating from her.

" _Why bother_ ," she said. " _You're all gonna die soon enough anyway_..."

And with that, she flew away.

Leaving Kris, Iris, Wes and Shrew, Latias flew into a different part of the area, quickly tracking down Archie and Shelly, who were still riding on Archie's Sharpedo and hiding near a cluster of cliffs on the other side of the Groudon-Kyogre conflict. Seeing Latias suddenly appear above them made Archie to yell at Sharpedo to stop, causing both of them to turn and stare.

" _You've completed your purpose, humans of Team Aqua_ ," Latias told the duo. " _There's no reason to keep you around. But you can at least delay your fates if you give me the Blue Orb, now_."

"Oh, terribly sorry to make you fly all the way out here," Archie told her smarmily, "but we don't have it. However, you'll notice there's a ship anchored near the epicenter of the battle, at that little island we previously spoke at. The one with four of our people in it? Yeah, go over there, go kill them, the big, burly one should have it."

Latias let out an enraged cry, but didn't stick around and propelled itself back to Team Aqua's ship.

"Skip!" Shelly exclaimed in shock. "What are you- what about Kyogre?"

"Oh, who even cares?" Archie laughed. "Kyogre and Groudon are just means to an end. I mean, did you really buy that 'expanding the oceans' crap? I mean, come on!"

Shelly just stared at her boss in confusion as he let out his most insane laughter yet, eyes wide open and drool dripping from the side of his mouth.

"But," Shelly said weakly, "then why-"

"I want something completely different," he growled at Shelly. "I want Rayquaza! I want to be the most powerful thing on the planet once this pathetic region and a _whole_ lot of others are wiped out! And what I want you to do..."

Archie shoved Shelly ruthlessly off Sharpedo's back, sending her tumbling into the water.

"...is find yourself a new job. So long, and thanks for all the fish!"

Laughing all the way, Archie zoomed away, leaving Shelly swimming for her life.

Back at the Team Aqua ship, Tabitha was already on the verge of soiling himself as he heard Latias' wail of rage getting closer, eventually seeing the red blur making its way towards him.

"Aww, fudgicles!" he groaned. "The boss and Shelly failed! She's coming for me now! Someone tell me what to do now! I can't decide without my superiors!"

"I have a suggestion," the tall, cloaked Aqua Grunt said calmly.

"Thank the almighty Kyogre – or, maybe not in this case," Tabitha sighed. "What is it?"

"Just don't think about it too much and give me the orb."

"What?! Why?"

"Because then you'll get to live."

"Sounds good to me," Tabitha squealed and quickly handed the Blue Orb to the grunt. "But how are you going to survive?"

"Like this."

The grunt pulled off his cloak, revealing the face of the red-haired Indigo League Champion. Before Tabitha could wrap his mind around where he knew this guy from, Lance headbutted him unconscious. The other grunts tried to attack him, but an elbow and a knee to the gut later, they were soon writhing on the floor. As Latias continued to approach the ship, opening her mouth and preparing to obliterate it with a Mist Ball attack, Lance whistled loudly.

Even Latias was temporarily dazed by a Hyper Beam attack from seemingly out of nowhere. The attacker, a Gyarados with red scales, emerged from the water and stopped right next to the Team Aqua ship. The floored Aqua Grunts watched helplessly as Lance jumped on the Red Gyarados' back and fled, the Blue Orb still with him.

**~o~O~o~**

In a different corner of the area, farther away from Groudon and Kyogre but with the two battling titans still in full view, Lyra, having lost her puffy white hat and with a bleeding wound in her ankle, finally came to. As she slowly opened her eyes and tried to make sense of what was happening, only slightly aware that it was raining heavily, she did figure out that she was being held in the arms of another person.

"Kri-"

But as Lyra's brain caught up with her speech, she realized Kris wasn't strong enough to carry her. As she opened her eyes all the way, Lyra saw she was being held by Hilda, having also lost her hat and just as soaking wet as she was, raising her eyebrows at Lyra.

"I'm just going to ignore that one," Hilda told a confused Lyra. "Can you walk? Not that I care, my arms are getting tired so I'm gonna drop you in a few seconds anyway."

Lyra just nodded meekly and Hilda let go of her feet, allowing her to slowly regain her balance. Lyra's mind still felt fuzzy after everything and it hurt to breathe. She turned to watch the first thing that caught her attention, the Groudon and Kyogre conflict, Groudon managing to use Rock Slide to finally hurt Kyogre and break free of the water-type's grip, though it was still clear that it was losing. Watching the two battle and continue to hurt each other without pause made Lyra cringe.

"Yeah, it's a mess up here," Hilda remarked casually – Lyra just noticed that Hilda's Samurott was resting a few feet away from them. "I kinda got knocked out of the loop myself when that big blue thing emerged, but when I came to, I noticed you floating around and did the best with the little CPR I know. Turns out I _could_ have become a medic – show's what Bianca knows. Knew."

"A-are the others okay?" Lyra asked hoarsely, finding it difficult to talk.

Hilda shrugged.

"Well, then," Lyra muttered in confusion, "what do we do?"

"Yeah, this is a _tad_ bigger than I expected," Hilda said calmly, "but we'll do whatever we have to, even if we're the only ones left.

Meanwhile, a couple hundred yards away, Shelly was swimming towards the nearest piece of land she could actually climb on, the ones she had passed so far being tall cliffs that were impossible to climb on. Between every stroke, she erupted into a litany of swears and grumbled about Archie.

"Sodding-arse-bollocks," Shelly grumbled as she swam. "Bloody Archie. I'll show him what for. I'll form me own bloody team. And I'm through with water! Gonna call it... 'the Electric Soldier Squad'. Or the 'Grasshoppers'. Or the 'Earthbenders'... _blimey, what is that_?!"

Shelly noticed a dark shadow swimming beneath her. This whole area was probably full of wild Pokémon. Shelly wished she hadn't watch the entire ' _Crunch_ ' film series featuring that mutant Sharpedo before leaving on the mission – but when it happened to other people, it was fun! She had left her spear back at the ship, but she still carried something with even more kick: a harpoon gun. It was a pistol that fired small harpoons that could be even reeled back in case she would miss – not that she would, of course.

_Yeah, just one shot and whatever's down there will be bunking with Basculin tonight. One... Two... Thr-_

Before Shelly could pull the trigger, she was suddenly pulled underwater.

**~o~O~o~**

Kris, Iris, Wes and Steven had taken shelter in Mr. Briney's ship. Though the storm hadn't quite capsized it, the ship had still ended up on one of the many flat rocks around the area and was now precariously dangling on the islet's edge, though still pretty much stuck. The unconscious Lunick was there, too, May and Brendan having dropped him with Steven before flying off somewhere. With the storm raging outside, it was impossible to tell where they were, and looking for them would be foolish, as much as Kris had insisted going after them. They had risked their lives to save her, someone they'd known less than two months, and yet here she was, sitting semi-comfortably inside a shelter, tending to Shrew and Honckrow while they were probably cold and tired.

Kris had explained the situation with Lunick to everyone, and though Steven was reluctant, he decided not to do anything about him. In return, Kris had been told about what happened while she was under, as well as about Hilda having disappeared, too. But Kris promised to herself that she wouldn't leave the area without making sure _everyone_ who came there with her were on board.

As they were about to decide on a plan, Mr. Briney and Peeko yelled something from above:

" _Young'uns, you might not believe this, but – there's a_ red _Gyarados swimming towards us. And there's a ginger guy on its back_!"

Steven prepared to greet the arrival, and soon enough, Lance, in full Team Aqua uniform and carrying the Blue Orb came below deck to greet the others. Well, not really "greet"...

"I got it," he told Steven stoically, holding up the Blue Orb.

"Good," Steven replied taciturnly and took the sphere from him. "Then this might just work..."

"Um, Lance..." Kris spoke up, feeling nauseous at the prospect of having to explain herself to him. "I'm sor-"

"This is far beyond your influence now," Lance said simply. "I'd suggest you people to leave and let us handle the rest."

"We can't do that!" Iris protested. "Some of our friends are still missing!"

"The Legendary Pokémon Society doesn't have the time or the resources to deal with that now," Lance said coldly. "The monster trying to destroy the Hoenn region kind of takes priority."

"Lance," Steven said. "I've already discussed this with them. They can help. I know they're outsiders, but considering everything they've been through – they can be of use."

Lance sighed, but didn't protest, just stood in the shadows, crossed his arms and started waiting. Steven, holding the Blue Orb delicately, walked over to the others.

"Are you familiar of the details involving the legends behind Groudon and Kyogre?" he asked, to which Kris, Iris and Wes all shook their heads. "Well, as they created the continents and the oceans, initially everything was well – until the two met and clashed, that is. The writings are a bit fuzzy on the details, so their battle could have lasted months, maybe even years. By the end of it, they had almost destroyed the very world they helped create, until the mythical Ziz, the giant guardian of the sky, appeared and stopped them, putting the two titans to sleep... until now. It seems that unless the sky titan is summoned, Groudon and Kyogre will fight for, well, ever."

"Is the sky thing a Pokémon as well?" Iris asked curiously, raising her hand like an eager student. "And does it have its own Orb?"

"We believe it's a Pokémon called Rayquaza," Steven said. "And yes, legends speak of something called the 'Jade Orb', but its locations is utterly unknown. These texts are always pretty vague, but we believe Rayquaza itself created the Red and Blue Orbs in case they were needed, and created a mechanism that ensured it wouldn't be bothered with the Jade Orb unless the world truly needed it. With the Red and Blue Orbs together, I think the Jade Orb will appear as well."

"Wait, wait, wait," Wes said, rubbing his forehead in thought. "First of all, 'in case they were needed'? What does that even mean? Also, I may not know a lot about stuff like this-"

"Or stuff in general," Kris muttered.

"-but, 'jade' means green, right? Red plus blue doesn't equal green, but purple! Now that don't make the slightest bit of sense."

"This isn't first grade art class, we're dealing with powerful ancient forces here!" Lance snapped from the shadows. "Something none of you understand a thing about, by the way."

"Don't mind him," Steven said calmly. "But I implore you, keep the Blue Orb safe."

He considered giving the Blue Orb to Kris, pondered it for a second, then gave it to Iris instead. Kris was actually kind of relieved, while Iris looked absolutely terrified to be holding it.

"But-" she mumbled. "What if-"

"Latias has the Red Orb, and me and Lance will try to retrieve it," Steven said simply. "As long as we have Latias busy, you should be safe. Team Aqua may try to retrieve it, but I doubt they'll be able to give you much trouble."

"I'll leave Gyarados here, just in case," Lance muttered. "Let's go."

The others weren't in a position to argue: Steven got on his Skarmory while Lance hopped on his Dragonite. Together, the two soared into the sky, quickly making Latias aware of their presence. Kris, Iris and Wes rushed above deck to see the fight with their own eyes.

At first, Latias was taken by surprise. A barrage of rocks shot by Skarmory made her flinch, allowing Lance's Dragonite to strike it with Dragon Claw. But these attacks seemed to just mildly inconvenience Latias, and her retaliation was quick and brutal – a Psywave attack that almost knocked both of them into the ocean. Steven opened a Poké Ball and let out his Metagross, a big, blue bulky Pokémon that materialized on a nearby cliff. Metagross attacked Latias with Flash Cannon, a silver beam of energy that Latias blocked effortlessly by raising another protective bubble around it.

Steven and Lance's efforts to attack were quickly rendered useless as Latias unleashed its most devastating attack yet. Waves of dark purple rings erupted from its body, knocking out Skarmory, Dragonite _and_ Metagross with one fell swoop. Lance and Steven also hit by the attack, even if their Pokémon took the brunt of it, crashed on the cliff near Steven's Metagross, unable to get back up.

"We gotta get them out of there!" Iris yelled. "Gyarados, can you take us help your trainer?"

The red Gyarados obliged, allowing Iris to jump on its back. Wes followed suit, but as Kris was about to do the same, Iris stopped her.

"What?" Kris wondered.

"Um... maybe it would be better if you stayed here," Iris said delicately. "Someone has to look after Lunick. And your Pokémon! Oh, and I almost forgot... here!"

Iris carelessly tossed the Blue Orb to Kris, who had to focus all her energy to catching it, getting a hold of it just as it was about to fall into the water. Before Kris could do anything else, the red Gyarados was already on its way to help the fallen Champions.

Latias was absolutely ecstatic, however – it seemed like she had surprised herself with the power of her Dark Pulse attack. She erupted into another fit of insane, echoing laughter as she watched Steven and Lance weakly withdraw their Pokémon, unable to move any more than that.

" _You failed! Even the strongest fighters of humanity can't stop me! You won't even get the privilege of watching your world turn into a barren, featureless wasteland!_ "

As Latias spotted Iris, Wes and the red Gyarados coming her way, she prepared for another attack.

" _And it seems the rest of you just couldn't wait your turns. I tried to give you more time, but if that's the way you want it, I'll be happy to accommodate you! DIE!_ "

But the anticipated attack never came. A blue ball of energy appeared from the sky, hitting Latias with tremendous speed and knocking her into the water. Iris and Wes didn't waste time wondering, but quickly helped Steven and Lance on the Gyarados' back.

As they headed back towards the ship, Latias re-emerged and faced whatever had launched the Aura Sphere. The attacker descended from the sky, floating slowly towards her, a pale blue glow surrounding it. Iris and Wes quickly recognized the purple and gray colors, the feline appearance and a large, purple tail.

"W-wes," Iris whispered in awe. "Is that Mewtwo?"

"I guess," Wes replied, "only it's been lifting. Like, a lot."

Mewtwo's limbs were now much thicker and more muscular, and its whole body looked different, more bulky. Large purple growths were sticking from its shoulder, giving the impression that it was wearing armor, while the 'horns' sticking out of its head were also bigger. Neither Iris nor Wes couldn't understand what was happening, while Latias seemed enraged.

" _You're still alive?!_ " she shrieked at Mewtwo. " _And you've... you couldn't have!_ "

As Mewtwo floated to Latias' level, it put its hands together and formed another, albeit brighter and much larger orb of pale blue energy between them. Latias tried to respond with a Mist Ball, but as Mewtwo's eyes flashed blue, the Mist Ball forming around Latias' mouth suddenly vanished, while Mewtwo hurled its Focus Blast attack at Latias. The orb moved slower than the Aura Sphere, but the damage it did was tremendous, engulfing Latias in a massive explosion. As the smoke cleared, Latias was still okay, although with ash and soot all over its body and missing even bigger chunks of its feathers.

" _You're trying to destroy me now_?" she asked cheekily. " _What happened to attempting to win me over, practically lying to me for weeks on end, thinking you could 'reach to my heart' or something stupid like that?!_ "

Mewtwo crossed its arms and didn't respond, enraging Latias even more.

" _How did you do that?! Answer me! My brother spent years trying to achieve that form!"_

" _Practice_ ," Mewtwo responded calmly.

" _And why are you trying to stop me?! I don't understand! You and that stupid Sandshrew! You both owe your suffering to these humans!_ _Why are you defending them?!_ "

" _I have no love lost for humanit_ _y_ ," Mewtwo said. " _Everything I've seen since_ _I got out of that laboratory has only confirmed me of the atrocities they're capable of._ _But you wish to_ _exact your revenge on millions of humans and Pokémon who had nothing to do with you. You wish to take away their_ _right to determine their own lives._ _And that makes you as bad as them. You're a disgrace to your brother, Latias_."

This pushed her over the edge. Latias let out an enraged roar that drowned even the sounds of Groudon and Kyogre's fight, its whole body surrounded by a crimson aura. A pink and crimson force field of energy then expanded from Latias' body, concentrating into a powerful beam that Latias launched towards Mewtwo. When Mewtwo had previously been hit by Latias' Night Daze attack, it had almost been knocked out or worse. This time, Mewtwo made a blue barrier appear around it, deflecting the attack. The Night Daze attack hit a nearby rock instead, obliterating it into dust.

" _Why_?" Latias groaned, aghast at the sight of her strongest attack not even touching Mewtwo. " _I don't understand... if you were never on my side, why did you help me in destroying those other humans_?"

" _I didn't want to_ ," Mewtwo said. " _It's a crime I must atone for. I limited my victims to criminals and the like, but I soon realized that_ _even then, I was not doing what was right. I had hoped to make you see the error of your ways by getting to your good side – essentially, I was manipulating you, and I'm sorry for that._ _But the humans you tried to kill here today are_ not _your enemies_! _To tell you the truth... it was a human who set me free_ _in the first place_."

" _What?! You said you escaped on your own!_ "

" _I did. That wasn't what I meant._ _But you tried to kill her here today, and as much as I'd rather not to... there's only one way to make sure you don't try that again_!"

Mewtwo surrounded itself with the blue barrier again, while Latias quickly raised her own shield. The two then charged, continuously hitting each other, slowly weakening each other's shields.

Below this fight, Brendan's Altaria was hiding at the foot of another cliff. May and Brendan were taking cover underneath its fluffy wings, unable to get anywhere with their water Pokémon exhausted and the storm making it hard for Altaria to get around. May lifted Altaria's wing to take a look at the situation, seeing Latias and Mewtwo attack each other.

"Brendan," she said. "Do you know what that is?"

"No, but it's on our side, so I'm satisfied," Brendan whimpered as he took a look himself. "Come on, get back to cover!"

"We can't hide out here forever!" May snapped. "You can't force your Altaria to just sit here in the rain while you're all comfy and warm under there!"

Brendan stared at the ground. "I'm not _that_ comfy and warm," he muttered quietly.

May was so through with him that she didn't even have the energy to yell at him. She just sat down next to him, leaning against her knees.

"Even with that thing keeping Latias busy," she said quietly, "I don't know if I see an end to this. There's a chance we might... oh, Arceus, we probably might not make it."

Brendan turned to look at May. He had a hard time believing what he was hearing.

"In..." May stopped to gulp nervously. "In case we don't, this might be my last chance to say this. I kind of... I don't mind at all that you're a Coordinator. I don't really even care what Norman thinks – you like doing it, and honestly, from everything I've seen, you're _really_ good at it. Probably better than I am at battling. So I'm sorry for all that stuff I said."

Brendan blinked at her in confusion.

"Well, that's not really all I wanted to say," May continued so quietly that Brendan had to struggle to hear her. "Ever since we were young, I kind of... well-"

"I know," Brendan said quickly. "I kind of... wait, I hope we're talking about the same thing here, because this will get _real_ awkward in the future if we're not."

"You do too?" May asked slowly and turned to look at Brendan.

Sighing, but still smiling comfortingly, Brendan removed his hat. His black hair was sticking up slightly from all that time Brendan had his hat on, but May was most surprised to see a big scar on his forehead, slightly above his eyebrows.

"This came from the battle with Salamence," Brendan reminisced. "I haven't forgotten anything. I was too brutal, almost getting me, you and my dad's Linoone killed. I promised myself I wouldn't fight anyone after that."

May smiled back at him. "And I vowed I'd become strong enough to never have to rely on anyone's help – and to never let anyone get hurt because of me."

"What do you say, May?" Brendan asked as he put his hat back on and grabbed a random Poké Ball from his pocket. "I'm not exactly happy about this, but sometimes, there comes a time when you have to step up and fight. Too bad that I kind of, well, suck at it."

"I know," May said and helped Brendan stand up, dragging him away from under Altaria's comfy wing and back into the rain. "Good thing I'm here. Let's do this!"

**~o~O~o~**

Back at the ship, Lunick had woken up, and was observing the seemingly never-ending battle between Groudon and Kyogre. He didn't mind the heavy rain or the wind blowing painfully on his face – sitting below deck with the others was far more painful than this.

Below deck, Lance had stubbornly insisted any help Mr. Briney had offered him and just stared outside through the window. Steven was tending to his Skarmory, whose joints weren't really built for flying in the rain. Meanwhile, Kris had injected some medicine into Shrew and Honchkrow, who were both fighting fit and also staring at the battle, for some reason.

"So that's it then?" Kris asked Steven. "We're not gonna do anything else?"

"Perhaps this Pokémon you seem to know – Mew _two_ , was it?" Steven asked and Kris nodded. "Maybe it can defeat Latias for us, but every minute we waste here, the storm keeps getting worse."

"Only an idiot would try to take Latias on," Lance said coldly as he stared out of the window. "Even after Mega Evolution, it looks like Mewtwo's evenly matched with her."

"I can't believe Dr. Blaine never told us it could Mega-Evolve!" Iris pouted. "I mean, in a different situation, this would be pretty cool!"

"But why can't it beat Latias?" wondered Wes. "I mean, that thing was created to be this unstoppable juggernaut of destruction, wasn't it? With a friggin' Mega Evolution and everything!"

"We've been looking into explanations on how Latias ended up this way," Steven started explaining.

With everyone paying attention to Steven, Kris walked up the stairs to get above deck. Shrew and Honchkrow noticed this and followed her up.

"We found an abandoned, mostly destroyed research facility on an island about fifty miles south of Ever Grande City," Kris heard Steven explain. "We recovered traces of DNA belonging to a Pokémon that we presume-"

Above deck, all Kris could hear was the wind, the thunderous sounds caused by Groudon and Kyogre's conflict in one place and Mewtwo and Latias' battle in another. Kris walked next to Lunick and joined him in staring at the conflict.

"Makes you feel sort of small, doesn't it?" Lunick asked. "When giants like these face off, what are we but specks of dust to them, huh?"

"I don't think philosophy will pull us out of this one," Kris commented.

Lunick shrugged. "Will anything?" he wondered. "I just wish I could have done something. I was so close to Archie, I could have stolen the Blue Orb from him, hidden it somewhere... but no, I actually believed in some of the things he had said and tried to talk it out with him."

"Not your brightest move," Kris said brutally, "but hey, at least you tried, right? If I hadn't been an idiot, I wouldn't have dragged my friends out here, but would have instead watched this from the news back in a warm, comfy Pokémon Center in Slateport with a cup of hot chocolate... ah, damn it, saying that out loud did _not_ make me feel any better."

"Well," Lunick said, "at least you tried."

"Yeah," Kris said seriously. "And I'm going to try again."

"Indeed. Wait, what?"

"Honchkrow, are you feeling okay?" Kris asked, and the bird Pokémon nodded enthusiastically and jumped on the ship's railing. "Shrew, I want you to stay here. Don't you think I'm treating you like you're weak!" she said quickly as the ground-type looked dejected. "What you did back there with Latias was amazing. You saved my life _again_ there without hesitation, and I owe you one. But you can't come with me for this one."

"For _what_?!" Lunick wondered in panic. "Kris, this isn't funny, you almost drowned down there and now you're thinking of-"

"Imma go get the Red Orb," Kris said simply. "I have the blue one already, don't I? I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to stop me."

"You're crazy," Lunick said.

"Yup."

"...but dang it, that was the best thing I've heard all day," Lunick finished his sentence. "Don't die out there."

"Not gonna happen anytime soon," Kris promised.

Lunick took a few steps back, and in a mix of concern and almost worshiping awe, watched Honchkrow swoop past Kris, who grabbed the flying-type's legs and soared into the sky, towards the eye of the storm.

Meanwhile, as Mewtwo and Latias' barriers collided once more, they eventually petered out, turning off at the same time, leaving the fighters defenseless. Team Aqua's ship was sailing directly below them now, Tabitha and the two other grunts having gotten back in control, and was now firing its cannon at Mewtwo, who blocked the shells effortlessly.

"Destroy that thing!" Tabitha yelled at the grunts. "It stands in the way of our utopia!"

" _Stay out of this_!" Latias snapped and fired a Mist Ball at the ship.

"Wait, Latias, no!" Tabitha wailed. "We're on your si-"

Mewtwo didn't bother trying to block that one – these particular humans weren't really worth the effort – and just watched the ship and presumably its passengers explode. Perhaps one or two of them got out and managed to swim away, but Mewtwo didn't really care one way or the other.

Another cannonball whizzed past it, but this one was coming from a different direction and hit Latias instead. The legendary Pokémon wasn't hurt at all, but was clearly surprised at being shot. Ships of different shape and size were appearing from every possible direction, none of them sailing under Team Aqua's colors. In fact, a ship crewed entirely by Team Magma was among them.

" _ **This is for Maxie, you monster**_!" Magma Admin Courtney yelled through a megaphone from the ship.

" _ **Attention, Team Aqua and the dragon-type Pokémon co-operating with them**_ _,"_ another, more official voice announced. " _ **We are within range to use our most destructive weapons within minutes. Surrender now, or**_ _ **feel the full wrath of our**_ _ **entire**_ _ **fleet**_!"

" _It looks like the entire region is coming out to get you_ ," Mewtwo remarked. " _It's still not too late to stop, you know_."

Latias had no idea what to do. The perfect, beautiful world without humans or Pokémon conspiring with them had been right in her reach. And the Enigma Stone still hadn't reacted.

Except now. Latias ignored Mewtwo and the advancing ships entirely as she slowly took the Enigma Stone out of the little space under her wing and held it on her hand. The crystalline stone fragments cracked and gave in at the exact same time when Kyogre attacked Groudon with another Ice Beam, this one beginning to freeze the behemoth solid and prevent it from moving. With the balance tipped permanently in Kyogre's favor, the Enigma Stone broke, revealing the object stored inside: the Soul Dew.

It was a small, transparent crystal orb with a bright blue ball of light shimmering inside it. The tone of blue reminded Latias of her brother.

" _Sis. It's me_."

 _No_ , Latias thought. _It can't be. I only imagined it because I was just thinking about him_.

But Mewtwo stopped what it was doing, too. Its mouth was slighly open as it stared at the Soul Dew, having definitely heard the voice as well.

" _If you're hearing this, it's because I'm dead_ ," the extremely familiar voice echoing from the Soul Dew said. " _I had gathered many enemies in my day, so I used a technique our species has used for thousands of years to leave something behind. I hope it helps you until another pair of Eon Pokémon take our place._ "

" _Latios_ ," Latias whispered. " _Please_..."

" _Thanks to this, I can always be a part of you_."

Before Latias could plead the voice to stay, the Soul Dew acted on its own accord. It floated away from Latias and transformed into a bright, ball of light, like a miniature blue sun spreading throughout the area. The light seemed to pour into Latias, joining with her, and Latias could feel herself regaining her strength, as if the battle with Mewtwo had never happened. As the light finally subsided, Latias could see Mewtwo before her clear as day, hesitant to attack.

" _Latias_ ," it said, " _I'm so sorry for_ -"

" _Luster Purge_!" Latias screamed.

As white sparkles gathered around her, Latias was able to fire at Mewtwo with a massive pink beam of energy. The beam hit almost instantly, sending Mewtwo flying on one of the many rocky cliffs in the area. As Mewtwo crashed and carved a large crater in the rock, its entire body glowed briefly, eventually sinking in size and becoming a regular Mewtwo again. Though still alive, Mewtwo was unable to get up – it didn't remember when it was last hit that hard.

" _YES!_ " Latias roared, holding the Red Orb up triumphantly. " _I am now the strongest being around! I don't care if this entire region takes up arms and tries to stop me! Bring it on!_ "

And that they did. Latias reacted a second too late as Kris and Honchkrow zoomed past her. Kris didn't hesitate or think about the insanity of what she was doing for a second as she grabbed the red sphere from Latias' extended hand, flying away before the dragon-type could respond in kind.

At last, Kris had both orbs. The downside was that she had no idea how to use them, and Latias was still hot in her trail. Honchkrow was clearly getting exhausted from having to carry Kris again and was losing speed while Latias approached, opening its mouth and preparing for another Luster Purge.

But it never came as an Altaria flew in and tackled Latias. Kris looked behind her to see Altaria use Dragonbreath against Latias while a Breloom jumped from the Altaria's back and punched Latias right in the jaw before its trainer recalled it. May and Brendan waved at Kris enthusiastically from Altaria's back, but Latias was quick to leave them behind and approach Kris again.

What followed next made Kris even happier, though: something from the cliffs below blasted Latias with a Hydro Pump attack, slowing it down some more, but what fully caused it to stop was the massive pink orb of energy Latias got hit with immediately after.

Kris looked down and grinned: Hilda and her Samurott were there, giving her a thumbs up, as was a Sylveon who had fired a Moonblast, and next to it, in full strength, Lyra.

"You can do it, Kris!" Lyra yelled from below, putting all the energy she had left into that cheer.

Latias stopped pursuing Kris and turned her focus on Lyra and Hilda, but couldn't attack them as she was hit by a massive ball of water to the back and lost her balance, falling several feet before she regained it again.

Kris looked wildly around her to see who had launched the attack. Hilda's Samurott was in a completely different direction, but all else Kris could see around her was cliffs and water.

Getting back up to the sky, Latias opened her mouth again, her aim pointed squarely at Kris and Honchkrow this time – but was again knocked off-balance by a Shadow Ball attack. Its caster, Mewtwo, clearly exhausted and back in its normal form, had floated above Latias, and while Kris couldn't see Mewtwo clearly, she could have sworn it nodded at her.

That was all the sign Kris needed. With the Red Orb firmly in one hand, Kris nodded at Honchkrow and released her grip.

Kris could hear Lyra screaming something, but didn't feel any fear as she started to fall, quickly grabbing the Blue Orb from her pocket with her other hand. With no clue about the proper procedure, all Kris managed to do was force the two orbs to touch and close her eyes before she hit the water.

"KRIS!" Lyra yelled as she descended the cliffs she had just spent the last half an hour climbing, Hilda, Samurott and Sylveon following reluctantly behind.

But Lyra stopped running as she noticed something happening at the spot Kris had fallen into: a gigantic green column of light shot up from the water and towards the sky. Latias and Mewtwo stopped fighting again to witness the light show, and bizarrely enough, even Kyogre stopped as it was about to deal another blow at Groudon and instead turned its yellow eyes to the sky.

A limp and barely conscious, but still-breathing Kris emerged from the foot of the green beam of light, being carried by none other than Croc. Lyra and Hilda waited at the shore, Lyra jumping up and down and waving as Croc swam to them, Lyra and Hilda pulling Kris on her feet.

Then, so many things happened that it was hard to focus on anything else.

The rain stopped abruptly. Groudon began to thaw out, but it didn't attack Kyogre, but turned to stare at the sky, too. And with good reason, because something at least the size of Groudon started coming down from the sky. The green pillar of light parted the clouds and let the sun shine again, casting its light on the arrival. The Pokémon that descended was green and had an incredibly long, serpentine body. Red, rudder-like wings were sticking from many parts of its body, with a fin on the tip of its tail. Two long, flat horn-like structures stuck from its head, and its eyes were small and yellow, just like Groudon and Kyogre's. It also had two short limbs with three claws in each hand. And just like Groudon and Kyogre, its body was covered in strange patterns, these being yellow.

Rayquaza had also been spotted by someone climbing up another hill in the distance: Archie. An insane smirk appeared to his face as Rayquaza's massive head grew ever closer.

"FINALLY!" he yelled. "Rayquaza! The unconquerable, primal master of the sky! I want your power! Be mine!"

Archie kissed his Master Ball for luck before chucking it towards Rayquaza like a baseball player. His entire body trembled at the thought of soon owning a Pokémon who dwarfed even the combined might of Groudon and Kyogre with its power. Soon, the Master Ball would hit its body and suck Rayquaza in...

...except that it didn't. Seeing the Master Ball coming towards it, Rayquaza didn't even stop and just turned its head lazily in Archie's direction, opened its mouth and fired a Hyper Beam at him. The Master Ball evaporated immediately as it hit its path, while the beam destroyed parts of the cliff Archie had been standing on, sending him plummeting towards his doom on the jagged rocks below.

Eventually Rayquaza stopped, letting the green beam of light grow even wider until its entire body was illuminated by it. Floating above everything with its tail slightly coiled, Rayquaza stared down on Groudon and Kyogre, who slowly began to retreat. Kyogre dived back into the sea while Groudon just simply let itself sank, finding a new place to sleep in the many caves around the ocean floor.

Seeing the sky clearing entirely and the two massive Pokémon retreat made Latias lose it for good. She abandoned Mewtwo and flew towards Rayquaza instead.

" _You may have ruined my plan_ ," Latias yelled at it, " _but I'm still the most powerful Pokémon around! Now taste my Luster Purge and DI_ -"

Rayquaza opened its mouth again, this time blasting an orange beam into the sky, where it turned into a shower of smaller energy spheres. These spheres rained down on Latias like meteors, each one of them hitting her and sending her plummeting down. She managed to pull up just before hitting the water and turned to stare up at Rayquaza, not in blinding anger, but fear. The way Rayquaza stared down at her, its message was clear: 'if I want to destroy you, I will'.

With no recourse and every part of her body in pain, Latias flew away, practically disappearing in a red flash of light as it moved at supersonic speed.

Everyone still stared, as if frozen still, as Rayquaza started to rise again. The green pillar of light began to fade as Rayquaza rose back to the heavens, returning to slumber in the stratosphere.

It took a while for everyone to register what had happened, but the first thing Kris did after she stopped staring at the sky was rush at her Feraligatr and hug it.

"I was so worried!" she said. "Thanks! I didn't even know you could use Hydro Can – what's that?"

Kris pointed at the piece of blue fabric hanging from Croc's teeth. The Feraligatr picked its teeth carelessly with its claws and tossed the fabric away.

Before anyone could erupt into cheers of celebration, an ear-piercing, high-pitched wail echoed throughout the area. It seemed to come from far away, yet Kris shuddered at the sound anyway, having to listen to it for several seconds.

"Sheesh, was that Latias?" Kris wondered. "I guess we finally drove her out, then."

But Lyra looked concerned, holding her arms close to her chest as she stared at wherever the sound came from.

"That poor thing," she muttered.

Kris wondered if Lyra had hit her head or something, but to her surprise, Hilda didn't look too cheery either.

"The hardest part is living with it," Hilda said quietly. "I wonder if she wanted to destroy everything to just get it over with..."

Kris did remember her conversation with Latias, but just couldn't make herself feel melancholy, especially when she saw the others making their way towards them, riding on Lance's Dragonite, Steven's Skarmory, Brendan's Altaria and Wes' Pidgeot. She did, however, wonder what became of the orbs. As she had pushed them together, they had fused into one, and the next thing Kris remembered was a blinding green light.

_Oh well._

**~o~O~o~**

" _The weather phenomena that have plagued our region today seemed to have passed without any larger damage to people or property. The state of emergency in east Hoenn has been lifted and all harbors have been re-opened. Neither the Hoenn League Champion or representatives from the coast guard or navy have offered any comments. The Weather Institute hasn't yet issued any official announcements, but are said to be investigating the possible cause for the unprecedented heat wave, followed by a catastrophic storm_. _In other news, Slateport City's Captain Stern has confirmed that the thieves of the Submarine Explorer 2 have been apprehended and the craft has been returned to its owners_..."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Mossdeep City, Hoenn** _

Lance and Steven were quick to disappear after making the group promise not to take any info about Latias, Rayquaza or anything else public, though with hundreds of others having seen it, it was doubtful that the incident would stay under wraps for long. Mewtwo vanished as well, without even a quick hello to Kris, who wasn't sure how she felt about that. Mr. Briney dropped Kris, Iris, Lyra, Wes, May, Brendan, Hilda and Lunick to Mossdeep City, where Lunick wanted to talk to Kris slightly away from the others. Wes glared at the two as they walked to someplace more quiet, but when asked by Iris what was wrong, he didn't say anything.

What Lunick had to say was no surprise, but still saddened Kris.

"So where will you go?" she asked.

"I'll find a place," Lunick said. "Maybe I'll visit those ruins you mentioned. Either way, I wanted to thank you for giving me a chance."

"Don't make me regret it," Kris said pointedly.

"I won't," Lunick promised. "Not after what I've seen you do. That was incredible! I thought I'd seen it all back at Alph Valley, but what you did was simply amazing!"

"Well, I dunno," Kris said, rubbing her neck awkwardly. "There was like a couple dozen other parties helping out."

"No, I mean it!" Lunick insisted. "At first, I thought Team Aqua was the only thing that could make my life in this time meaningful. But seeing you do something like that made me think I should stay after all, like maybe there's good in this time as well."

Kris wasn't sure why she was suddenly blushing uncontrollably. Though this was the first time someone had given her such sincere praise without adding something diminutive.

"Well, it's not like the old days were _that_ good," Kris muttered and found herself looking at Lunick's feet, nervously brushing her hair aside. "I mean, today we have the Internet and much less diseases and stuff..."

"I hope we meet again soon, Kris," Lunick said and bowed at Kris. "Don't hesitate to call me for help once we do."

Kris didn't even notice that she was staring after Lunick much longer than was appropriate as he headed to the harbor. She also didn't want to move anywhere until she made sure she wasn't red in the face anymore.

_Yup. This turned out to be a pretty good day._


	10. Hoenn's Finest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adventures in Hoenn conclude in the Hoenn League, but Kris is going to have to pull a few imaginative tricks to win any battles.

**Chapter Ten: _Hoenn's Finest_**

_**Location: Sootopolis City, Hoenn** _

Tensions ran high at the Sootopolis Gym as May faced off with the gym leader, Juan. It was May's Mawile against Juan's Politoed, both battlers down to their last Pokémon. Kris, Iris, Brendan and Wes watched from the sidelines, Brendan cheering particularly hard, though Kris doubted May even heard it. She was getting intensely into the battle, practically screaming her attack orders and reacting whenever her Pokémon got hit. To her credit, she had learned when to go on the defensive as well, managing to step around Juan's subtler strategies.

As Juan ordered Politoed to use Earthquake, May countered with Iron Defense, causing Mawile to take almost no damage. Juan attempted Focus Blast next, but with Mawile's being half fairy-type, Politoed's attack still didn't bring it down, allowing Mawile to retaliate with a Play Rough attack, getting up close and physical with Politoed. Juan attempted one last attack in the form of Hydro Pump, but was too close to use it, and Mawile instead grabbed Politoed with its big jaws and slammed it across the arena and against the wall, winning the battle. As May earned the Rain Badge, she had officially eight badges in the Hoenn League and was ready to enter the Pokémon League.

" _Kris' log, day 7_ _9_ _in Hoenn. A lot has happened_ _since we, and by we, I mean_ I _saved the day from Latias and Team Aqua's_ _moist schemes._ _For one, I don't know what happened, exactly, but there has been a_ lot _less arguing between May and Brendan._ _There's still some gentle bickering, but the tone is much softer_ _. They even had a tag battle against Tate and Liza back in Mossdeep and both won themselves a Mind Badge. According to Brendan, he 'didn't hate' the experience,_ _but wasn't going to try to earn any new ones. Me and Iris also fought them and_ _earned ourselves a badge each_ _, bringing my total to eight,_ _at last_ _, allowing me to_ _take it chill_ _until_ _the_ _tournament_ _starts_."

" _Of course, me being me, I was pretty modest as usual in regards to me saving the day_."

"Hey, so, that one move you pulled with Blaziken," Kris told May as the group left the gym, everyone barely listening at this point, "wasn't it almost kind of like when I swooped in towards Latias to get the Red Orb? Huh? Remember that? When _I_ did that?"

"YES!" May, Brendan, Iris and Wes all shouted at the same time.

" _Modesty, thy name is Kris._ _Anyway, Hilda left almost immediately at Mossdeep, apparently to tell the old couple_ _at Mt. Pyre about what happened to the orbs. I doubt anyone will find them after I dropped them (intentionally, of course) to the bottom of the ocean. Lyra was with us for one day and then left. Let's just say she's been brought down a peg, a fact that I got a lot of mileage from. Just a few weeks ago her face was plastered everywhere, now this whole region seems to like to pretend she doesn't even exist, seeing as the submarine ended up being retrieved by the navy._ _Wes is still with us, though – unfortunately. At least_ he _listens to stories about how awesome I was, but keeps interrupting with some boring old tales of his own about how he took out criminals in Orre. Blah, blah, Wes! It's not all about you, sheesh_."

" _Mr. Briney_ _and Peeko are w_ _ith us, too._ _Briney agreed to ferry us around east Hoenn, which is pretty much made up of islands that are_ way _too far from each other._ _From Mossdeep, he took us to Lilycove, where Brendan earned himself his fourth ribbon that made him eligible for the Hoenn Grand Festival._ _May was surprisingly cool with this detour and neither of the_ _m_ _acted like before, being in a hurry all the tim_ _e._ _Weird._ _It probably helped that none other than Norman was there watching Brendan compete, allowing May to challenge him to a rematch and earn the_ _Balance Badge._ "

Kris remembered as Norman had sat frowning and arms crossed in the audience in awkward silence between May and Kris. May was too busy cheering Brendan on to notice Norman's cold demeanor, though. When Kris had asked Norman if he was finally proud of his son, what with him on his way to earning a Master Rank ribbon, to which Norman had replied: "You'd think so, wouldn't you?" And yet, he had traveled all the way from Petalburg to Lilycove apparently just to watch the contest.

" _From Lilycove, we headed to Sootopolis,_ _where May got her eighth badge and where the Grand Festival is also held._ _So even though there isn't a Contest Hall here, Sootopolis is like the central hub for all the region's Coordinators, considering that's where the famous Wallace and Juan are both from._ _The sad thing is that, what with all that nastiness a couple of weeks ago, Wallace has been kinda busy, and as he's both the Top Coordinator of Hoenn_ and _the current Champion, the Grand Festival and the Hoenn League are held at the same time. That means heading to Ever Grande City for Iris, May, Wes and myself."_

The group waited at the Sootopolis City Docks for Mr. Briney to return to his boat after going out for supplies, Peeko sitting faithfully on the pier to guard it. They happily chatted away about nothing in particular until Briney arrived. After that, it was time for Brendan to say farewell to the others. Kris realized she had traveled with him for two months now. May hadn't been apart from him in that time either, though it was Brendan who wasn't handling it very well, constantly fumbling his words and on the verge of bursting into tears. Because she wanted to give them privacy, and partly because she had little patience for their sap, she turned to Briney.

"So what are your plans after all this?" she asked the old captain.

"Oh, they called for my expertise on the ship project," Briney said proudly. "After Stern's Shipyard completes the ferry, we'll start work on a massive cruise ship, I think."

"What will the ferry be called?" Kris asked. "Ooh, I have a good name: Miss Love Ducklett! You'd think my suggestions would carry weight since, I, you know, helped get back the submarine and all... and saved Hoenn."

"Kris," Iris pointed out.

" _We_ saved Hoenn," Kris amended reluctantly.

"I meant that Steven asked us not to talk about that too openly, remember?"

"The ship already has a name," Briney said, "the S.S. Tidal."

"Boring," Kris grumbled.

"I know," Briney sighed. "Stern always lacked imagination."

Fortunately, May was able to say her goodbyes without much drama. After all, the tournament only lasted for a few days, after which the two would meet each other again. Kris admitted not having much of a plan about what to do after the tournament – she just went with the flow for now.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Ever Grande City, Hoenn** _

Ever Grande, the city where the Hoenn League Tournament would take place, was built high on top of the many cliffs around a large, lush island composed of mostly mountains and untamed wilderness. The cliffs Ever Grande had been built on were lush with grass and flowers, a natural paradise. A quiet place most of the time, whenever a tournament or some other big event was arranged on the gigantic stadium built on the highest point of the city, it became full of life. The hotels were booked full, business-minded people from all over the region set up shops, stands and other services and tourists swarmed in from all over the world. In contrast with the busy and urban Kanto and Johto and the cold Sinnoh, Hoenn's tropical climate drew in the biggest crowds of all.

Even after riding on her earlier success, Kris was not sure if she was ready for this.

On the eve of the tournament, Kris, Iris, May and Wes settled into the hotel specifically designed for contestants and their entourages, Wes signing in as a 'freelance training coach' to get in. Unfortunately, that meant he kept accompanying Kris and the others wherever they went. The next day, the tournament began, and the contestants settled into the waiting room that made the one at the Silver Conference look like a broom closet.

"This is so exciting!" Iris squeed, unable to sit still and instead running around, her Fraxure and Excadrill out of their Poké Balls as Iris had polished Excadrill's claws and Fraxure's tusks. "I've never competed in a tournament before!"

"Yeah, I'm kind of surprised," Kris said. "You were pretty comfortable sitting the Silver Conference out on the sidelines."

"It was too late to sign in anyway," Iris said casually as she inspected Fraxure's teeth. "But I really wanted to test you out on an official match. Imagine, half of Hoenn will probably be watching this tournament from their homes! Maybe even more than that."

Kris suddenly felt queasy, and it wasn't because of the questionably cheap and odd-smelling onigri she had bought earlier.

May was standing slightly away from the others, giving a lecture to her Blaziken, Breloom and Mawile like a drill sergeant, having insisted earlier that no one bother her while she prepared herself. Meanwhile, Wes arrived into the room carrying a bunch of water bottles in his lap, giving Kris and Iris one each and corking one of his own.

"Wow," he panted. "You'd think I'd get to use it, coming from Orre and all, but this place is _hot._ How you doin' Kris?"

"Fine," Kris lied. "Though seeing you made me realize why my stomach is upset."

Wes laughed obliviously. "Good one," he said annoyingly. "Always a quip ready, huh. You gonna trash-talk at your opponents?"

"Maybe that's how they do it in Hicktown, but I'm going to carry myself with dignity and style," Kris said and attempted to open the cork in her bottle. "Argh! Stupid ****** thing, open up you *****!"

"You want any last-minute training tips?" Wes asked. "'Cause, you know, I _do_ have experience. Have I told you about the time me and Rui took on a gang of-"

"Yes!" Kris snapped. "And no to tips. I don't remember seeing you battle at the Silver Conference."

"Did they ever hold tournaments in Orre?" Iris asked politely.

"Alas, no," Wes sighed melodramatically. "Nothin' too official. I mean, we don't even have a Pokémon League. There were some Pokémon battle competitions, but being a busy man, I never took part in 'em."

"What I'm hearing is, you were too scared," Kris said mockingly and took a sip of water as she finally got the bottle open. "Trust me, I don't need your help."

"Ly!" Iris yelled suddenly.

Wearing big, dorky sunglasses for some reason, Lyra had just entered the room. Kris was wondering where she had been, and as she spotted Iris calling out for her, she waved in an oddly subdued way and walked over to the group quietly.

"I was worried!" Iris told her. "Where have you been?"

"...places," Lyra muttered evasively.

 _She never did know how to lie_ , Kris thought as she saw Lyra take her sunglasses off carefully after looking around her.

"Brendan isn't here?" she asked.

"Nah, he's at the Grand Festival," Iris replied. "I hope his dad is there to cheer him on. We met him at Lilycove, and he was kind of... um, _reserved._ What places have you been in?"

"...just training," Lyra muttered and looked away from Iris.

Oddly, it was Wes who said out loud what Kris had just been thinking about:

"You ashamed that your fifteen minutes are over?" he asked, though his tone wasn't as biting as Kris' would have been. "You shouldn't be nervous. When people are comfortable, they tend to forget and take things for granted."

"When?!" Lyra groaned. "When I was coming here, some random guy yelled at me for being a media Orre. I don't even know what that means!"

"I don't think he said 'Orre'," Iris said awkwardly.

"I blame you!" Lyra shouted and pointed at Wes, almost jabbing him in the eye. "You told me to go the Weather Institute and become a hero, and look where that led me!"

Kris frowned and looked at Wes curiously. Why would he do that?

"That friend of Red's I told you about asked me to!" Wes explained quickly to Kris, noticing her stare. "Nothin' nefarious about that. And what are you complaining about?" he asked Lyra. "You got to be one, didn't you. Ain't my fault you didn't have what it took to go all the way."

"You know about this 'friend'?" Lyra asked Kris. "Why would they have any interest in you? I mean, I'm just asking."

"I'm sorry, how about next time a cataclysmic disaster occurs, I let _you_ do all the work," Kris snapped at Lyra, who seemed surprised at Kris' hostility. "I'd like to see how that would turn out. Oh, wait, we already tried that, didn't we? And which one of us was the completely useless one?"

"Kris!" Iris scolded.

"We all have self-esteem issues sometimes, but I don't think you were _that_ useless," Lyra countered.

"Oh, suh-nap!" Wes smirked. "Shots fired!"

"Shut up, Wes!" Kris, Lyra and Iris yelled at the same time.

"Would you four just get a room already and _shut up_!" a random contestant yelled. "They're about to announce the lineup!"

All eyes turned on the closest of the many large video screens hanging on the walls all over the room. The image of a short, spirited old man with a very impressive beard appeared on the screen to voice an apparently prerecorded message.

" _Attention,_ _trainers_ _! I am Mr. Goodshow_ _of the Pokémon Association_ _and I welcome you all to_ _the_ _Hoenn League Tournament in Ever Grande City._ _With the opening ceremony out of the way,_ _the battles are about to begin._ _The tournament will last four days,_ _so all of you will most likely be battling at least twice a day._ _A single loss will cause you to be eliminated from the tournament, and on top of that, our jury will_ _score your_ _performances_ _in case of ties or_ _similar cases._ _Your opponents will soon be s_ _hown on these monitors and you will be called to the field. Good luck to all of you_!"

Soon enough, the images of all 128 competitors appeared on the screens. Looking around and searching for her own mug shot, Kris eventually tracked it down, along with the images of Iris, Lyra and May. Iris would be facing Ace Trainer Quincy, Lyra would be up against Ace Trainer Katelynn and May would be up against Swimmer Harrison. But Kris was aghast at the trainer she had been paired against – she hadn't even seen him anywhere after almost three months of traveling around Hoenn. Lyra spotted him too and started laughing, and from the crowds, Kris' upcoming opponent, still wearing his familiar cap and comfy shorts, emerged and approached Kris with a huge grin on his face.

"Howdy, everyone!" greeted Joey. "So, Kris – ready to fight against the trainer from the top percentage of trainers?"

Kris burst into laughter as well. _Whoever chose this lineup_ , she thought, _have a little less faith in me, why don't ya_?

Hours passed as Kris waited for her turn. During that time, Iris, May and Lyra all beat their opponents and made it to the second round. Kris wasn't even nervous. She felt like laughing at just how easy it would be. For once, _she_ wouldn't be the one humiliated in front of millions of viewers.

Eventually, Kris and Joey were called into the battlefield. As they both assumed their places, Kris ignored the cheering audience, the banter of the announcers, the way Joey was nervously fidgeting in anticipation – she went into her zone.

"Kris of New Bark Town versus Joey of Cherrygrove City," the referee announced and pulled his flag down. "Begin!"

Kris knew what to do right away, sending out the Pokémon who secured her a victory against Tate and Liza: her Chandelure. Joey, on the other hand, sent out his... Raticate.

 _Of course_.

"All right, Chandelure!" Kris yelled. "Use Flamethrower!"

"Raticate!" Joey commanded. "Sucker Punch!"

Kris recoiled at Raticate's speed, the way it jumped into the air, turned one of its hind legs black and ambushed Chandelure, striking before it could make a move, causing the Flamethrower to miss.

_Oh. OH! OHHHHH! You want to play this game?!_

"Will-O-Wisp!"

Chandelure struck Raticate with a blue fireball, managing to make Joey's Pokémon consumed by a blue flame. _Try attacking physically now, you shorts-obsessed little_ -

"Bubble Beam!"

Raticate opened its mouth and blasted Chandelure with a barrage of bubbles, all of them popping and drenching Chandelure, eventually knocking it out. Kris couldn't believe what was happening as she was forced to withdraw Chandelure, down to two Pokémon now.

"Yeah!" Joey cheered with his fist in the air. "What did I tell ya? It's like my Raticate is-"

" _Don't_ even say it!" Kris threatened. "Or I'll chop you into bits the moment this battle is over! Shrew, go!"

As Kris had chosen her three Pokémon for the match, she hadn't gone with her A-game, having hoped to save Croc for a later, more challenging match. Kris didn't like making Shrew fight, but her options were limited.

As the little Sandshrew came out of its Poké Ball and blinked calmly at its opponent, Joey made a dramatic battle pose.

"All right, Raticate!" he yelled. "Use Bubble Beam again!"

"Dig!" Kris commanded.

The Bubble Beam missed as Shrew dived into the dirt as if it was water, moving its way underground and confusing Raticate, only to emerge from behind it and strike it with a full-body tackle.

"Now, grab him!" Joey yelled. "And use Hyper Fang!"

"Defense Curl!" Kris ordered quickly.

Shrew couldn't break free from Raticate's grip in time – but it _could_ curl into a ball and harden its skin. When Raticate tried to sink its massive fangs into the Sandshrew's hide, it reacted with a pained yowl, as if it had tried to take a bite of solid rock.

As Kris ordered a Slash next, Raticate went down and was declared unable to battle.

 _Okay, we're tied again_ , Kris thought, _that first one was just bad luck. I'll beat him. It's frickin' Joey_!

Joey was clearly surprised to see his prized Pokémon go down, but didn't dwell on it too long. He quickly sent out his next Pokémon – a Noctowl.

"Seriously?!" Kris groaned. "What is this I don't even? Do you _really_ have eight badges?"

"Ah, but this is no ordinary Noctowl!" Joey said with his finger authoritatively in the air. "For it's-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Kris snapped. "Shrew, Rock Slide!"

"Noctowl, Hypnosis!"

The large, round-eyed brown flying-type was faster, making its eyes glow red and shooting red, expanding circles at Shrew. Before Shrew could launch its attack, its eyes started to close and it started stumbling groggily around the battlefield. As Kris just yelled at Shrew to get its act together, Joey ordered his Noctowl to use Air Slash, which knocked Shrew out in a single blow.

 _No_ , Kris thought as she recalled Shrew. _I'm losing. To Joey. JOEY!_

Kris pulled her last Poké Ball slowly from her pocket, considering her strategy. Her next Pokémon had beaten Winona's Swellow and evolved, only to lose to her Altaria later. She hadn't really seen battle since. But Kris was putting all her hope into this one. Everyone else had made it past the first round. She was _not_ going to be a laughingstock.

"Kirlia, go!"

The white and green Pokémon floated gracefully out of its capsule, serenely observing its surroundings. Kris knew Kirlia couldn't withstand much punishment, but also knew exactly how to make sure she would give the battle her all.

"Kirlia!" Kris shouted at her. "I know you haven't battled much, but I believe in you! And no matter what happens, you'll still be a hugely important part of my team!"

That did the trick: Kirlia squealed happily and prepared itself for combat. As Joey ordered Noctowl to use Hypnosis again, Kris quickly ordered a Teleport, allowing Kirlia to vanish and reappear behind Noctowl. Next, Kris ordered a Thunderbolt, which hurt Noctowl considerably, but didn't knock it out. When Joey ordered Noctowl to land and recover its energy by using Roost, Kris knew to struck.

"Kirlia, Hypnosis!"

Joey let out a groan as his Noctowl became sleepy. "Not fair!" he complained.

"Not so fun when it happens to _you_ , huh?" Kris taunted. "Kirlia, Psyshock!"

Noctowl couldn't dodge or retaliate in its condition, allowing Kirlia to charge its attack, conjuring up a light blue, dark blue and purple orb of energy, then fire all three at Noctowl, knocking it out.

 _Come on, creep_ , Kris thought to herself, licking her lips nervously as Joey withdrew Noctowl. _Make your move. Bring in your last Pokémon_.

"Go, Diggersby!" Joey yelled.

"Huh?! I don't even know what that is..."

Kris brought up her PokéDex, who still hadn't regained its ability to annoy Kris with insults – she was beginning to miss it already. However, the text still showed, informing Kris that the large and gray bipedal rabbit-like thing before her was normal- and ground-type, an evolved form of Bunnelby, originating from Kalos. Its ears could apparently lift a ton each – Kris called Tauros on that.

"Better be careful, Kirlia," Kris said. "Put up a Reflect!"

Kirlia raised her hands, surrounding herself with a shining, multicolored and mostly transparent ball. But Joey just smirked at this.

"Not gonna work," he taunted. "Diggersby, Mud Shot!"

Diggersby opened its mouth wide, firing multiple balls of mud at Kirlia. The mud globs passed through the barrier like it was air, visibly hurting Kirlia.

"Now, Brick Break!" Joey ordered.

"Teleport!" Kris said quickly.

Kirlia managed to flee from Diggersby's attack, but the Diggersby still managed to shatter the barrier to pieces. Kris ordered Psyshock, but to her shock, Diggersby was faster as Joey ordered it to use Earthquake. The seismic wave Diggersby created knocked Kirlia off-balance, putting her to the brink of unconsciousness. Kris desperately went through strategies in her mind, but all she could think about was how beaten-down and tired Kirlia looked, probably too tired to lift her arm for a single attack.

"Secure our victory, Diggersby!" Joey yelled. "One more Earthquake!"

"Destiny Bond!" Kris shouted quickly.

Kirlia didn't hesitate, as all she had to do was envelop herself in a purple glow. As the Earthquake hit her, Diggersby glowed purple too, forcing it to stop attacking. Both Pokémon fell and closed their eyes at the same time, leaving the whole arena in confused silence. Kris and Joey withdrew their Pokémon and slowly turned to look at the judge simultaneously.

"It's a tie!" the judge yelled. "Both Kirlia and Diggersby are unable to battle."

 _I_ tied _against Joey? Youngster Joey?! I'm a disgrace!_

"But," Joey said weakly, "who won?"

Kris, however, remembered the instruction video. As she suspected, the jury, among them none other than Steven, filling in for Wallace, withdrew to calculate a score for Kris and Joey. The contestants themselves had to stand awkwardly in place and wait for the score to appear on the giant screen.

Finally, Steven stood up and spoke into his microphone.

" _Attention, everyone_ ," he said. " _We have now finished counting the points for our contestants. Joey of Cherrygrove City fought admirably with Pokémon rarely used in these tournaments and is to be commended for the wide variety of moves he had taught his Raticate, as well as his excellent strategy against Kirlia's Reflect. However, his Pokémon may have been pushed too hard, as evidenced by Raticate's injury when attempting to bite Sandshrew, or Noctowl's ill-timed attempt to recover energy. For this, we award him with eighty-nine points out of one hundred_."

The audience applauded, Joey smiling and nodding to himself contently. Kris put her hands behind her back to mask how much they were shaking, begging to herself she'd do better than that.

" _Kris of New Bark Town_ ," Steven continued, Kris swearing that Steven glanced at her briefly, " _has demonstrated good understanding of her Pokémon's capabilities. Her underestimation of her opponent and her lack of planning may have cost the early run of the battle, however, as did her falling to Noctowl's Hypnosis attack_."

Kris closed her eyes. _That's it. I'm moving to Holon and living in the woods for the rest of my life_.

" _But_ ," Steven continued, " _her performance with Kirlia was deemed nothing sort of excellent and her strategy was sound. Her compassion towards the predicament of her Pokémon was noted, and her final strategy of using Destiny Bond was deemed surprising and highly entertaining to watch. Due to this, we award her with ninety-one points out of one hundred. That means Kris of New Bark Town wins_!"

Kris didn't open her eyes until she heard the crowd cheering for her. She exhaled loudly in relief and tried to smile as naturally as she could when she realized her face was on the giant screen. She had made it. But from that moment on, the battles would only get harder.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Later that day, in a different part of Ever Grande City** _

In one of the many hotels around the coast, a rich guest 'entertained' a hapless waiter with his stories. The guest just lounged in a beach chair and sipped drinks that the waiter kept supplying to him while standing nearby, looking bored. However, it was worth it, as the guest kept slipping him bills with plenty of zeroes in them. The guest, having just signed in with the name 'Missile', was peculiar in the sense that he was wearing a stylish black suit in what must have been a 98-degree day, and to top it all off, always hid a part of his face with a domino mask.

"...which, if you think about it, is the true purpose in everything, wouldn't you agree?" Missile asked the waiter.

"Yes, sir," the waiter responded monotonously.

"Now take me for instance," Missile continued. "When I came to this country, I was but a humble and somewhat successful scholar, but even with all my knowledge, I couldn't pay all the bills. With a large amount of Pokémon in my care, my only choice was to join Team Rocket. You don't know what Team Rocket is, do you, boy?"

"No, I'm afraid not, sir."

"Good – this sounds cooler out of context. Now, I admit that I did _join_ them and _worked_ for them, but what those so-called 'authorities' missed was the big picture. I was bringing the gang down from the inside! I was respected, feared and loved wherever I went, charming Executives to telling me their darkest secrets before activating the traps I had prepared! Bam! But what do I have to show for it? Nothing! Because of them!"

"Them, sir?"

"Those meddling kids!" Missile snapped, banging the table nearby with his fist and spilling his drinks, forcing the exhausted waiter to refill his glass. "Thinking _they_ were some kind of heroes. They just happened to be at the right – or wrong – place at the right time! My plans were based on minute details and rigorous planning, but they just stumbled upon the tripwires of justice and snorted a mouthful of unearned glory. There was a metaphor I was going for here but I lost my train of thought."

"Quite, sir."

"So, even when I help them, and pretty much am responsible for Team Rocket's defeat, I get no glory, no recognition. I try to slip away unnoticed, and I get arrested! Where is the justice of the world? Where were those heroes then, huh? Well, at that point, I prepared my backup plan, a fiendish one with compelling intricacies, I daresay. I avoided authority long enough to put a message to my friends in the underworld, pleading their help against the obstructive system. They complied, and as I was finally apprehended and delivered into a holding cell, their sabotage and subtly laid out roadblocks caused the car I was in to stop on a perilous cliff around Mt. Mortar! As soon as the guards left the car, I managed to deactivate the hand brake, sliding the car off the cliff and into my certain doom. Now, I know what you're thinking-"

"Indeed?"

"-how could that be the end of the story? Well, clearly, I am here telling it to you-"

"A grim fact of life, I daresay, sir."

"-meaning I had a cunning plan. I managed to bolt out of the car just before it fell and was utterly crushed, falling into a carefully placed net. Appropriating a change of clothes from the nearby stash, I shredded my old clothes, left some blood on them just in case and hid the clothes in the wreckage, along with an exhumed but unrecognizable body. Best of all, I had anticipated this well before I even joined Team Rocket, taking a life insurance that left the money for my dear mother – whose bank account I have been able to get access to for years, I must add. With the money, I left down south to start a new life. Now you're thinking, 'as enjoyable as that riveting tale was, why is he telling it to a lowly servant like me?'"

"Why indeed, sir."

"I have no fear!" Missile announced. "Missile is just a nickname I received during training for Team Rocket – no one knows my true identity or country of origin, thanks to the miracles of modern plastic surgery! But my plan does not end here. Tell me, sonny boy, have you ever had the pleasure to read 'The Count of Camphrier'? Ah, no need to answer – of course you haven't! Well, my current goal is a plan so fiendishly intricate, it rivals even the perfectly executed revenge in that book. I am going to get my revenge on those kids and restore my honor!"

After finishing his rant, Missile gulped down his drink and looked at his watch.

"Oh, they're battling now – I missed the first round entirely! Put on the televisual device, would you, servant?"

The waiter grumbled about something, but not for too long after Missile slipped another large bill at him. He gave Missile a portable television (having been prepared for any demands) that he immediately switched on and flipped to the right channel to follow the second round of the tournament. With the portable TV in his lap, Missile sat back and enjoyed himself... until he recognized the perky, brown-haired girl wearing blue overalls currently in battle. He took a sip of his drink just so he could do a spit take all over the screen, which the disgruntled waiter had to clean.

"It's..." Missile stuttered. "Her! It's _her_! So the others must be..."

Missile took a deep breath and calmed down, glaring at the image of Lyra on the screen.

" _Good_ ," he said quietly. "Enjoy yourselves while you still can – because I will meet you soon."

**~o~O~o~**

The next day, the tournament continued. Kris, Iris, Lyra and May had all gotten past the second round and made it to the top thirty-two. After some hurried preparation for the afternoon battles, the four rushed to the stadium, Wes attempting to desperately keep up with the requests the girls made and hurry to the market to buy the necessary items, regretting he ever offered to help. By the time the battles started, he still hadn't returned, but that didn't stop both Kris and Lyra from beating their opponents.

The last battle of the third round was an interesting one: Iris would face off against May. Though Lyra left somewhere to train, Kris was very interested in seeing how this battle would end up and hurried to the front row seats reserved for the contestants. Kris practically leaned over the railing in excitement as the battle began – no less because she'd be very likely to face the winner in the fourth round.

Iris began with her Excadrill while May sent out Breloom. Undaunted by the clear type advantage, Iris cleverly ordered Excadrill to use Poison Jab, which hurt Breloom and even managed to give it poisoning, only to see Breloom's Poison Heal ability activate, only making it stronger. Breloom countered with a Sky Uppercut, which hurt Excadrill but didn't knock it out, as Iris was able to counter quickly with Iron Defense.

The two contestants were evenly matched and Kris couldn't take her eyes off the battle, which moved at a very fast pace. Iris stood there, giving orders in a calm but determined manner, making it impossible to gauge what she was thinking. In contrast, May still went for the rough, attack-as-much-as-possible approach, but it seemed to pay off, as all Excadrill could do was dodge and counter.

"Sandstorm!" Iris ordered.

This turned the tides of the battle. As Excadrill whipped up a sandstorm, Breoom was briefly blinded and the whole battlefield became obscured, Kris having to rely on the gigantic screen to see what was going on. In a sandstorm, Excadrill became infinitely faster, effortlessly dodging even Breloom's Mach Punch and countering with a Metal Claw attack that finally brought May's Breloom down. As the sandstorm died down, the audience cheered and whistled, with Kris among the loudest of them.

"Excuse me," a male voice suddenly spoke from next to Kris, making her flinch.

"Gah!"

Kris looked up at whoever was speaking with her. It was a young, tall man with fairly long and shaggy black hair, part of which was sticking up at the top. In contrast with this, though, he was very snappily dressed, wearing a stylish dark blue suit with a red tie.

" _Don't_ do that!" Kris snapped at him, causing the man to recoil nervously.

"Ah, sorry," he said and backed away a little. "I was just wondering... you're Kris from New Bark Town, aren't you? I saw your earlier battles and was _very_ impressed. Particularly that Destiny Bond move."

"Well," Kris said, looking away bashfully while fiddling with her hair, "it was really more of a... yeah, it was pretty cool, wasn't it?"

"Yes it was," the man nodded and smiled reassuringly. "May I sit down?" he asked, and Kris nodded, seeing as she was the only person in the front row. "My name is Cheren," the man introduced himself. "I am the gym leader of Aspertia City, though that is just _one_ of my many duties."

Kris frowned at him. "Haven't we met somewhere before?"

"Quite possibly, I have been in Johto a couple of times," Cheren said politely. "But I'm here to talk business. I hope you don't mind, but when I saw your first battle in the tournament, I was immediately interested and used my contacts to see if you had any earlier experience in tournaments. It turned out you finished eighth in the Silver Conference six months ago! That is an amazing achievement indeed!"

Kris grinned. "Thanks," she said proudly. "Getting there wasn't exactly a cakewalk, though."

"I know," Cheren nodded. "I managed to look up that info, too. You managed to complete the trials devised by the Dragon Clan! I know most Unovans don't even know what those are, but I have to know these things. It's part of my job. Well, jobs."

Kris started to like this fellow more and more, even if she couldn't shake off the feeling she had met him once. "What _do_ you do, anyway?" she asked.

"Besides the gym leader thing?" Cheren said with a smile. "Well, the gym I run is actually where the future great trainers of Unova are made! It was a school before they converted it into a gym and asked me to be its leader, but I asked them to keep it as a place of learning as well. That way, I can both test the skills of trainers and teach young minds about Pokémon at the same time."

Kris had an unpleasant flashback to the school-like gym in Rustboro City, but nonetheless smiled and nodded at Cheren.

"Before I became a gym leader, I worked for a talent scouting company," Cheren said as he took a card from his pocket and handed it to Kris. "I still do freelance work for them whenever I can. We're always looking out for skilled trainers and offer a variety of programs to hone their skills even further. Not that I'm implying you'd _need_ us to become a master trainer, of course," Cheren amended nervously.

"Well, I wouldn't," Kris said as she read the card, "but this place _does_ sound interesting. Are you saying that-"

"Yes, I knew you'd see through me like steel mill worker's tank top," Cheren smiled, causing Kris to almost break into a giggling fit. "I'm interested in recruiting you. The perks are pretty good, too. Since Unova is so far away, you'd only have to come there once to sign the papers, with us paying all the expenses. Any work we'd want you to do could be done wherever you happen to be at the moment, seeing as we have representation all over the globe. You'd do it whenever it suited you, of course, and you'd be _very_ well compensated."

Kris felt her hands sweating as she pretended to keep reading the business card. In reality, her mind was racing with ideas. Was this what Hilda and the others had talked about? Had everything paid off at last? Or already? She hadn't been a Pokémon trainer for even a year and things were already looking up. What could she say?

Meanwhile, Wes entered the stadium and headed to the audience in search of Kris, dutifully delivering the Pokémon food and vitamins he had left to buy. Looking around from the entrance near the back row, Wes finally spotted Kris sitting in the front – and dropped everything he was carrying in shock once he realized who Kris was talking with.

Hastily picking up his items, Wes rudely pushed his way past people and rushed to the front row, hearing the tail-end of Kris and Cheren's conversation.

"...not asking you to decide now, of course," Wes heard Cheren say in his usual suave way, "especially in the middle of a tournament. My number is there, so feel free to call when you want."

"Thank you!" Kris said as she put the business card in her pocket and noticed Wes. "Oh, there you are," she said harshly. "Take a little longer, why don't you?"

"You wouldn't believe the lines," Wes panted, glaring at Cheren as he turned to look at him politely. "What are you doing talking with _this_ guy?!"

"Sorry for talking with a stranger, _mom,"_ Kris said and rolled her eyes. "Wait, do you _know_ this guy?"

Wes bit his lip. "I-"

"Oh, you're friends with Wesley from Orre?" Cheren asked Kris smoothly. "We've heard about his skills a while back and attempted to talk about co-operation with him. We couldn't recruit him, obviously, due to his rather, well, clouded past-"

"That's one way of saying that he's a creep," Kris muttered.

"-but we're always interested in strong trainers and asked if he would like some work. He refused, unfortunately, but it's his choice."

Avoiding looking at Cheren, Wes handed Kris the stuff he had bought.

"Seriously, Kris," he muttered, as if Cheren couldn't hear him, "you don't want to associate with-"

"Hey, shush, the battle's about to wrap up!" Kris said and pushed Wes away, turning back to the match.

Even when May's first Pokémon had fallen, she had fought valiantly, managing to bring down Iris' Excadrill and Sliggoo. Both Iris and May were down to their last Pokémon, Fraxure and Blaziken, who both looked very exhausted. However, as May ordered Blaziken to use Hi Jump Kick, Iris quickly ordered a Dig, allowing it to evade the attack and making Blaziken crash down and hurt itself. It was weakened even more as Fraxure's Dig attack hit it, and when Blaziken attempted to retaliate weakly, Iris ordered a Dragon Rage which finally knocked Blaziken out. Iris was declared the winner, which meant May would be dropping out of the tournament.

"I gotta go talk to them!" Kris exclaimed suddenly, jumped off his seat and shoved both Wes and Cheren out of the way as she rushed up the stairs and skipped away. Wes didn't remember the last time he had seen her being this energetic.

Cheren also stared after Kris, smiling proudly as if he had achieved something.

"Doesn't she look happy?" he asked.

Wes made sure no one was looking and grabbed Cheren by his tie, dragging his face close to his.

"Whoa!" Cheren exclaimed, still smiling. "You have to buy me dinner first if that's what you want."

"What were you doing with her?" Wes hissed at him. "I thought you wanted _me_ to just report her activities to you and that's it!"

"Please, Wesley," Cheren said, sounding outright bored, "I _do_ have other things going on, you know. We were having a friendly chat, is all. And looks like I just boosted her confidence a bit."

"By smooth-talk and manipulation, yeah, you should feel _really_ proud!" Wes grumbled at him. "If you want me to keep working for you, you'll stay away from her!"

"Aren't we a mite possessive today," Cheren chuckled. "You're not her brother or her boyfriend, and even if you were, I doubt she'd need _you_ of all people to... what are you doing, anyway? Protecting her or whatever?"

"This isn't about that!" Wes snapped. "I... well, how do you expect me to keep up my cover if you just show up like that!"

With Wes loosening his grip, Cheren just smiled condescendingly at him as he pulled his tie away from Wes' grasp and adjusted it.

"Are we feeling guilty?" Cheren asked.

"Hardly," Wes scoffed. "Much as I hate workin' with someone like you, it's much more important than _her_. Even if she is linked somehow... by the way, it's probably pointless to ask, but _why_ are you here? Have you even done anything to find out who was behind Navel Rock?"

"I came here to do my job," Cheren said defensively, "two, actually. You know Alder is watching this tournament, right? He's one of the sponsors and celebrity guests. Guess who the other one is?"

Wes thought about it, but was interrupted when the tournament announcer's voice started blaring through the speakers:

" _Good afternoon, battle fans_! _We had some dazzling battles during that third round, and I hope you all stay tuned for the fourth one, starting this evening!_ _For now, we'd like to take this opportunity to thank the person who made this tournament possible! Put your hands together for madam Sird of Galaxy Enterprises_!"

The image of a tall, glamorous businesswoman with a fancy suit and slightly graying hair, giving her a very dignified appearance, appeared on the screen.

" _It's great to be here in Hoenn_!" Sird addressed the audience, who applauded wildly. " _And I have good news to offer: half of the profits from the many sales stands in the area go directly to helping the victims of the recent storm that plagued east Hoenn. I will personally be making sure the reconstruction efforts go as planned. Enjoy the tournament and good luck to all our remaining sixteen contestants_!"

Wes turned to look at Cheren again for answers, while Cheren just smiled and jerked his head towards the screen. Wes looked at it again and then raised his eyebrows at Cheren.

"Sird?" he said quietly, even though there was no one close by. "No... she's a philan... philontro... she does charity work! The people love her! She couldn't have- wait, did they say Galaxy Enterprises? I thought a guy called Cyrus ran it."

"Cyrus is the face of the company in Sinnoh, but he's actually just the executive vice president," Cheren lectured. "Sird calls the shots, but even though she lives in Sinnoh, she spends so much time traveling around that they need someone to run the day-to-day affairs. I was supposed to have a meeting with her, as my company wants to do business with hers. And you'll never guess who both of these companies answer for..."

Biting his lip, Wes sat down on the closest bench, Cheren sitting next to him. The stadium was clearing out, so no one was listening to their conversation.

" _Them_ ," Wes grumbled. "Always with _them_. But what would Sird have to gain?"

"The Griseous Orb, of course – though that's not a concern anymore, thanks to you," Cheren said in a vaguely amused tone. "Not only that, she had been a major investor to a lot of the research carried out there, especially the Pokémon biology experiments. No doubt she would have the motive to hide _any_ trace of what happened there. So, she has you and the crew sent in to mop up-"

"-and calls in the air strike to mop _us_ up," Wes muttered, then seemed to realize something. "But... what about those who made it out. Jas, and Hilda, who came here with Alder and is probably here now!"

"Well, it's been a long time and Sird hasn't done anything against them," Cheren pondered. "Perhaps she doesn't see them as a threat – and remember that this is all hypothetical here. What I'm more concerned about is our friend Crystal's dear little Sandshrew."

"You think Shrew got the brunt of their experiments?" Wes asked. "And Sird, or whoever was behind it, might try to...?"

"I'm not saying anything," Cheren said. "And I'm certainly not speaking ill of the great Sird. Not at all."

Wes smirked. "So, I take it you knew Hilda was here?"

"Of course," Cheren replied predictably.

"Are you gonna go see her? I thought you were old friends."

"A little too old," Cheren said quietly. "There's some bad blood. And don't forget that I was the one who got her to join the task force in the first place. And... well, a lot has happened in the past."

Wes wondered if Cheren's hesitation was real or if he was just messing with Wes' mind. He fully knew what it was like to have to fake emotions – he was very good at it, after all.

**~o~O~o~**

Late in the afternoon, Kris, Iris, Lyra and Wes gathered in the waiting room with the remaining contestants and their entourages, nervously anticipating the fourth round. Eight more would drop during this round, and Kris knew that the top 8 were all that the public at large would remember. To her and the others' surprise, May arrived into the waiting room, with Brendan no less. And the two weren't even bickering!

"May!" Iris exclaimed and stopped playing with her Sliggoo. "Um, I hope you're not upset or-"

"You kiddin'?!" May said with a smile. "That was an awesome battle! You've taught me so much!"

"Good to hear," Iris said in relief and turned at Brendan. "Hi! Aren't you supposed to be competing at the Grand Festival?"

Brendan sighed, though didn't look too broken up. "I didn't make it to the semifinals," he said. "Turns out there's a _lot_ more to this Coordinator thing than just looking jaw-droppingly fabulous..."

"That's about as modest as he'll ever get," May smiled and shook Brendan's shoulders affectionately.

The room fell silent as the screens all over the room activated again, showing the fourth round's lineup. Iris and Lyra were quick to find their opponents, but everyone was particularly interested in the one who was going to challenge Kris. May gasped, wondering how she hadn't realized the challenger had been in the tournament the entire time: a short, pale green-haired boy whom both May and Brendan knew very well: Wally.

The boy approached the others through the crowd, gently waving at them and looking a little nervous, but nowhere near as psychologically wrecked as May and Brendan would have assumed him to be when forced to talk with strangers.

"Um, you're Kris, right?" Wally asked Kris quietly. "I'm really looking forward to our battle. I've seen you do very well so far."

"How are you here?" May wondered, though quickly backtracked when Wally turned to look at her, looking outright hurt by the comment. "I just meant... I didn't know you had eight badges."

"All thanks to you, Brendan and Mr. Norman," Wally smiled. "I got a lot healthier in Verdanturf Town and I've caught many new Pokémon that helped me get those."

"Well, congratulations on getting so far," Brendan said. "I, uh, never would have thought. I mean, I didn't even think you'd get one badge-"

" _Brendan_ ," May hissed.

"What, you thought that too."

" _Bren-DAN_!"

Wally bowed at Kris quickly before heading back to the other side of the room, leaving Kris confused. That kid had gotten this far? Had eight badges _and_ had made it to the fourth round of the tournament? How? Why? Whence?

But Kris had learned her lesson from Joey. Honchkrow, Chandelure and Shrew had tired themselves out during the battle earlier today, which meant she would focus on fighting only with Pokémon she was sure would be at their fullest. Unfortunately, that included one who only had one battle so far, and had lost it.

 _This is your time to shine, Snorunt_.

Kris and Wally's battle was for the fifth of that round. Iris had already battled her opponent and had won, while Lyra stayed in the waiting room all by herself as Kris walked to the arena. No longer unnerved by the crowds, Kris' fears were mostly Wally-centric. As the two assumed their places on each side of the battlefield, Kris glanced at Wally. He looked outright zen, just smiling slightly, not caring about the audience or Kris. Something about that didn't make Kris feel right.

But she had beaten Joey, and at least he had been a trainer much longer. _This is just some twerp who got lucky_ , Kris thought. _Nothing to worry about_.

As the battle began, Kris sent out her Kirlia, while Wally sent out, to Kris' surprise, its evolved form, Gardevoir, which resembled Kirlia, but was much taller, its appearance making it look like a wispy, ghostly dancer who seemed to float a few inches above the ground. Right off the bat, Kris' prospects didn't look good.

"Thunderbolt!" she ordered.

"Light Screen!" Wally retaliated.

Kris cursed at Wally's cleverness when Gardevoir put up a protective barrier around him, the Thunderbolt managing to pass through it but doing a lot less damage than it ordinarily would.

"Disable!" Kris ordered.

Kirlia's eyes flashed blue, causing Gardevoir to briefly glow blue as well, the Light Screen eventually fading away. But Wally was quick to retaliate.

"Shadow Ball!" he ordered.

"Kirlia, Teleport!"

But before Kris even finished getting the words out, the sizzling black ball of energy had already struck Kirlia and brought her to the ground, bringing her on the verge of unconsciousness. No doubt Wally would be about to finish this off, so...

"Destiny Bond!" Kris ordered.

"Future Sight!" Wally yelled.

Kirlia surrounded herself with a purple glow again. However, when Wally's Gardevoir used his own attack, nothing seemed to happen. As such, the Destiny Bond's effects quickly subsided. Kris wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but as long as Kirlia was still in battle, things were golden.

"Oookay, then," Kris said to herself. "Kirlia, Thunderbolt again!" she ordered.

Kirlia managed to drag herself up and prepare for another attack – when suddenly she was struck by a blast of psychic energy, seemingly from out of nowhere. This blast knocked her out and Kris found herself with one less Pokémon, Wally's Gardevoir looking no worse for wear.

"Future Sight is a delayed attack," Wally explained to Kris, who gritted her teeth and withdrew Kirlia. "The Mossdeep Gym Leaders taught that to me. I have to say you still fought well, Kris."

Kris wanted to say 'thanks', but she was too consumed by rage and frustration to do so. Instead, she sent out her next Pokémon: Snorunt. Who still hadn't won one match so far. Well, no 'official' matches – Kris hadn't forgotten how it flash-froze Tabitha's Mightyena not too long ago. Kris ordered Snorunt to use Crunch, wanting to make sure Gardevoir would leave the field quickly. Wally ordered Gardevoir to use Teleport, allowing him to evade the move, but Snorunt kept on charging no matter where Gardevoir teleported, eventually landing a hit. But even after being hit, Gardevoir easily retaliated with a Psychic that lifted Snorunt in the air and tossed it away, almost knocking it out.

"Hax!" Kris complained. "That should have knocked your Gardevoir out already!"

"Don't you know?" Wally asked. "Gardevoir is part Fairy-type. Dark-type attacks are not a problem for him anymore."

"Oh, you have got to be... Snorunt, Ice Beam!"

"Gardevoir, Misty Terrain!"

Even as Gardevoir was hit by the attack, he didn't retaliate immediately. Instead, he released a cloud of blue mist from his body, covering the ground with it. Kris ordered Snorunt to fire Ice Beam again, but Gardevoir was faster, hitting Snorunt with a Dazzling Gleam attack. Firing a concentrated beam of light from his eyes, Wally's Gardevoir knocked Kris' Snorunt out – and it still wasn't too badly hurt.

Kris recalled Snorunt and desperately sent out her last, and most strongest Pokémon. Croc flexed its muscles and roared at Gardevoir, who didn't react in any way, just floated and waited for Wally's commands. But Kris got to it first, ordering Croc to use Hydro Pump, which Gardevoir dodged again with Teleport. Kris didn't back down, instead ordering Croc to use Slash. The Feraligatr charged at Gardevoir, ready to swipe him with his claws, but Gardevoir put up a Reflect instead, causing Croc to bounce off it and fall on his back.

"Croc, fight!" Kris commanded desperately as she watched Croc struggle in pulling himself up. "That thing took out two of your friends already! You have to beat it! Use Ice Fang!"

But the Reflect Gardevoir had put up stopped the attack neatly. Wally retaliated with Dazzling Gleam, but without having to be told what to do, Croc shielded his eyes from the blinding flash of light.

"Good job, Croc!" Kris yelled. "Now, Hydro Pump again!"

This time, the Feraligatr was close enough to hit Gardevoir and blast him with water shooting at an enormous pressure. The mass of water hit straight through the Reflect barrier and knocked Gardevoir away from it, causing him to fall on the ground briefly.

"Now use Earthquake!" Kris ordered.

"Magical Leaf!" Wally countered.

Once again, Gardevoir was faster. He raised his hands above his head, then brought them forward releasing a gust of glowing, sharp-edged leaves at Croc. Kris yelled at the Feraligatr, telling it to keep fighting, to keep struggling... but nothing seemed to work. For a while, the wounded Feraligatr just stared at the Gardevoir, who was also exhausted, then collapsed and was declared unable to battle.

Kris tried to feel angry, but she couldn't be. Not at Wally, not at herself and certainly not at her Pokémon. In the end, she thanked Wally for the battle and left the arena gracefully. All in all, the way she had battled, surely she had ranked highly enough to be remembered by all in the future.

**~o~O~o~**

" _Fifteenth_?!" Kris shrieked as she saw the rankings on the stadium bulletin board. "This is some-"

"Calm down, Kris," Iris said quickly, anticipating a rant. "There were a hundred and twenty-eight contestants, after all. And besides, the Silver Conference is only so famous because of its glitz and glamor, as well as its global appeal. These regional tournaments may not be so widely broadcast, but the competition is much tougher than you'd think."

Kris had stuck around to see how well Iris and Lyra did in the fifth round, only for both of them to drop. Iris was psyched out when a trainer from Sinnoh using nothing but ice-types appeared, and though she worked to get hard over her dislike of the type, her Pokémon still took a bad beating, causing her to lose the match. Lyra, on the other hand, faced off against Wally. Lyra managed to bring down his Gardevoir with her Typhlosion, but lost against Wally's other Pokémon. Iris placed sixth overall, while Lyra came in seventh. May ranked around nineteenth, though May and Brendan weren't around for now.

Wes had disappeared during the fifth round, having been unusually quiet and having eventually left without saying a word. Kris wasn't too broken up about that, but Iris seemed to miss him. As Kris, Iris and Lyra watched the rankings, someone suddenly called their names.

As Kris turned around, she was shocked to see both Steven Stone and Wallace greeting them, people around them staring in admiration.

"Hiii, guys~!" Wallace greeted. "Been a long time, eh, Kris?"

"We'd like to have a word with all three of you, if you don't mind," Steven said in a more serious tone. "Follow us, please."

Kris, Iris and Lyra did as told, following Steven and Wallace up the stairs and down an empty corridor at the top floor of the stadium. It reminded Kris of when she had first met Wallace during the Whirl Cup, but this stadium was at least three times the size of the one on the Whirl Islands.

"Me and dear Steven had a bit of a discussion about you," Wallace said pleasantly as they walked. "All of you did _extremely_ well in the tournament, and since you helped us immeasurably during the crisis with Team Aqua and Latias, we thought we'd reward you!"

Kris' face lit up. _Yes! I knew it! My efforts_ are _being recognized_. Iris and Lyra looked similarly excited.

"How many trucks do I need to take my reward home?" Lyra asked hopefully. "Six? Seven?"

"Well," Steven said awkwardly, "actually-"

"Eight it is!"

"We can't pay you with money, sadly," Wallace said. "But I have something that you might find even better~!"

"I've heard that Alder's bodyguard, Hilda I believe her name was," Steven said, "promised you, Kris, something about becoming Alder's apprentice...?"

Kris gulped. She _did_ remember that! But she hadn't thought about it for so long. Kris had been mostly focused on getting good enough to do well at the Hoenn tournament and thinking about all the other stuff she had come to Hoenn for. As much as she had accomplished, she was still no closer to finding Red.

"Where does that leave us?" Iris wondered.

"All of you participated, right?" Wallace asked and winked. "And you're not the only ones who did."

"Is Alder also a member of the LPS?" Kris asked, lowering her voice even though no one was around.

"Unfortunately, no," Steven said. "The Elder has asked him several times, but he always refuses. Perhaps he thinks he has a lot on his hands already..."

At the end of the corridor, May and Brendan were leaving a room through a pair of fancy double doors. Seeing them, Kris, Iris and Lyra ran to them, both May and Brendan smiling at them – Kris noticed they were holding hands.

"So you're here too!" May beamed and showed the group what seemed to be a chunk of pure silver tied to a fancy ribbon. "Check it out! 'For acts of great bravery and in recognition for Pokémon mastery'!"

Kris' smile faded.

"That it?" she asked.

"Yeah, I could go out and buy a ten of those at the local stands!" Lyra complained.

"Actually," Brendan said, having attached his own medal to his hat somehow, "Mr. Alder has arranged us an all-expense-paid cruise to the Johto region!"

"Why there?" Iris wondered.

"Mr. Sparkle here wants to check out the Contest scene," May said and shook Brendan by the shoulder teasingly, to which Brendan grinned nervously, "and probably the Pokéathlons and all the other cool stuff you guys have in there. And _I_ want to test my luck at the Battle Frontier! I know they have one here, too, but I want to see more Johto Pokémon!"

"We wanted to thank you for everything," Brendan said, and both he and May bowed as thanks. "For... well, let's just say traveling with you guys was good for us."

"I know I'll never forget the time we spent together," May said, "even if I wanted to do that for some parts," she added.

"Let's not keep Alder waiting," Steven said. "Wallace and I have to get back to judging the Contest – the sixth round is starting soon. I sincerely hope to see you all again!"

"Bye, everyone~!" Wallace said and waved.

When Steven and Wallace left, Kris, Iris and Lyra said their goodbyes to May and Brendan and stepped into what seemed to be Alder's room.

The room was luxuriously decorated, probably belonging to the man who owned the stadium, with a panoramic window that allowed a full view of the entire stadium. Alder sat behind the desk, leaning back casually and waving at the arrivals. Hilda was also present, sitting on the desk, filing her nails and looking disinterested. Kris, Iris and Lyra took their seats in the very comfy chairs in front of the desk, though they all sat on their edge of their seats in anticipation.

"Welcome, welcome!" Alder said loudly and cheerfully. "First of all, my sincerest apologies that I can't give you anything more than this! You three may not realize it yet, but you are heroes! You remind me of the Unovan heroes of Truth and Ideals, why, I was saying to Hilda here-"

Hilda cleared her throat impatiently.

"Sorry," Alder said awkwardly. "But I'm _very_ excited to be in the presence of people like you."

"That's very kind of you, but it's not like we were the only ones there," Iris said. "There were Steven and Lance, not to mention Wes and Hilda, plus we got help from the navy and then there was this humongous dragon-"

"Now, Iris, the man has a point," Kris interrupted. "We are pretty awesome, no?"

"I also _must_ apologize on the behalf of Steven and the others that we couldn't publicize this further," Alder said more somberly. "It's their policy to make sure people don't know just how close it can get sometimes – but at least you have demonstrated that no matter what the odds, anyone can step up and do their part to help!"

Kris was squirming in her chair, unable to contain her excitement. However, Alder took his sweet time, putting on a pair of reading glasses and looking something up from his documents.

"Your name is Lyra, am I right?" Alder asked the girl in question, who nodded excitedly and took off her hat – Kris had no idea where she had gotten a new one identical to the one she had before.

Alder glanced at Lyra over his glasses, which made Lyra almost crush the hat in her fist.

"I believe I saw you battle at the Silver Conference six months ago, too!" Alder said thoughtfully. "It's rare to see someone so in tune with their Pokémon – few Trainers ever bother to master nonverbal commands."

Lyra looked extremely proud and loosened her grip on her hat.

"I'm assuming you have great aspirations about being a Pokémon trainer, too?" Alder asked, and Lyra nodded again, even more excitedly this time. "Well, I talked this over with Lance, and he promised to make the arrangements. I'll get you to Kanto as soon as possible where you can have special training with the Indigo League's Elite Four. You can leave as soon as you want."

Lyra jumped up from her chair in excitement, slamming her hands on the desk, startling even Hilda.

"Thank you, Mr. Alder!" she practically screamed at the old Champion, who backed away from her a bit. "You have no idea how much I've wanted that! I've always admired them, especially Karen! I've learned so much just by listening to her quotes during her battles! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Lyra stormed out of the room, still yelling excitedly. Alder shook his head, though he was still smiling.

"Perhaps she should have stayed long enough for me to give her the tickets," he chuckled. "Now, then... Iris, is it?"

"Yes!" Iris said perkily. "It's such an honor to meet you!"

"You're from Unova too, right?" Alder asked. "I remember you, as well. You're Drayden's protégé. He's told me a lot about you – I'm sure he misses you while you're out on you travels."

Iris looked embarrassed and didn't say a word to that – something Kris was not used to.

"Well, I won't be needing my private plane for a while," Alder said, "so I'm happy to give my seat on it to you. The flight leaves in a few hours and I'll make sure you'll be taken safely from the airport to Opelucid City."

"Thanks!" Iris said excitedly, only to look confused afterward. "Wait, why?"

"Drayden asked me to tell you," Alder smiled, "that he's ready to give you the crash course you'll need to become a gym leader. Looks like you're the one he ended up choosing as his successor – I'm not surprised."

Iris looked like she was about to burst from excitement. Just seeing the joyous look on her face made Kris happy, too. This is what Iris had been talking about since the two had met, and it would seem like she had reached her goal.

"I'm sure you'll be an excellent gym leader, Iris," Alder said. "Congratulations!"

"And the best part," Hilda smirked, "is that you'll get to fly with _me_! Looks like I'm going to be _your_ bodyguard until we get to Unova!"

"Oh, yeah," Iris said nervously. "That's, um, great..."

"And finally," Alder said, reading his documents again, "we have Kris. Started your journey from New Bark Town with a Pokémon you received from professor Elm..."

"And I was in the Silver Conference, too!" Kris couldn't help but to add.

Alder nodded. "I remember," he said. "You were instrumental in helping us fight off the Masked Man!"

Kris smiled smugly at Hilda, who rolled her eyes and kept working on her nails while looking bored.

"Steven told me," Alder said, "that it was your, and I quote 'reckless stupidity'-"

_Say WHAT?!_

"-without which everything could have failed and Latias could have wiped this region out with her storm," Alder finished. " _And_ , both Steven and Wallace agreed, that as foolhardy as it was, you've demonstrated real courage, the kind that isn't found often. As Hilda here promised, I will personally take you into my training program, starting here in Ever Grande City as soon as the tournament is over."

_Yes. YES! YESSSSSS!_

"Thank you!" Kris gasped, unable to think of anything else, too excited about the prospect of learning from one of the best of the best. "So, you will personally teach me?"

"Well, not every waking moment," Alder smiled, "but yes, I will teach you as much as I can, though I should point that true strength comes from within, and-"

"Yeah, that's all spectacular and all," Kris said quickly. "For how long?"

"Three months, I'd think," Alder said. "After that, I really must return to Unova. You wouldn't be the only person I'm training, as I've handpicked a few other motivated ones who will also enter my crash course, but you'd be the one who I'd be focusing on the most. After that, I'll of course arrange you transportation to wherever you wish to go next. Does that sound good to you?"

"Does an Ursaring sh-"

"She's very happy about it!" Iris cut in.

**~o~O~o~**

Lyra had returned in embarrassment to pick up the tickets to Kanto as well as the medal she got along with Iris and Kris. Deciding they had no particular interest in the tournament, the three briefly got together at the Ever Grande harbor, where Lyra's ship would leave. A car was also there waiting for Iris to take her to Alder's private plane. As excited as Kris was, realizing that she and Iris would be leaving in separate directions caused an awful empty feeling Kris couldn't explain.

"Take care of yourself!" Iris told Kris as she pulled her in for a lung-crushing hug. "As soon as we meet again, tell me how the training went!"

"A-as soon as we..." Kris stuttered as Iris let go. "You mean-?"

"Yeah, of course we'll meet again!" Iris said cheerfully. "Since you let me stay at your house last time, it'd be so much fun if you could come and visit me in Unova after your training."

Kris suddenly remembered the card Cheren had given her.

"Yeah," she said slowly. "I just might... yeah! Oh, I'd really love to see what the Village of Dragons looks like!"

"Well, there are dragons," Iris smiled, "but yeah, it'd be _so_ awesome if you could visit! I'll miss you a lot, though."

"Same..." Kris turned away from Iris to take out a piece of dust that somehow made its way to her eye. "Same here..."

Iris turned to Lyra and hugged her too.

"Good luck with your training!" she said. "I hope you'll find your way to Unova, too!"

"It was so nice to meet you again!" Lyra said tearfully as she squeezed Iris harder than Iris had hugged Kris. "I mean, sure, I won't miss the way you talk so much and touchy-feeliness, but apart from that-"

Iris laughed as she let go of Lyra. "Don't ever change, Lyra."

Lyra just blinked in confusion. "Why would I do that?"

Iris gave Kris and Lyra one last wave before getting into the car, which drove away from the docks and quickly disappeared from sight. With that, only an awkward silence between the two former friends was left. Kris struggled to think of something to say – sure, she wouldn't miss Lyra as much as she would miss Iris, but it's not like she wanted her to go and burn in the Distortion World either. Lyra looked embarrassed as well, keeping her hands behind her back and swinging back and forth on her heels.

"So..." she said.

"Yup," Kris said and nodded.

"Um... quite a ride, right?" Lyra asked Kris, who groaned internally. "To think you actually got your second trial done... I mean, I wouldn't have thought you'd even make it past the first one-"

"Do you have to do that now?" Kris asked.

Lyra looked clueless. "Do what?"

Kris shook her head. "Forget it. But yeah, I've had... a time."

"A good time?"

"A time."

"Oh."

Lyra kept on moving about nervously in place while Kris stared at the ground awkwardly. How did you go about telling someone 'please leave, but please, let's meet again soon'? Or 'go away, but don't'? Or, 'I hate you, but not really'?

 _Huh_ , Kris thought. _Where did that last one come from?_

"Ah, screw it," Lyra grumbled and rushed over to hug Kris, who didn't respond and just looked confused.

Even more confusing was just how long it lasted. Kris wasn't sure how to tell her to stop and just stood in place with her arms stiffly against her sides. Lyra, however, was shaking all over, and Kris felt something drip on her shoulder, as if Lyra was crying against it. This lasted for a few more seconds until Lyra turned quickly around and ran into the closest ship.

Then, realizing it was the wrong one, she ran away from that, past Kris and into the one she had been supposed to go. Kris just stood there, trying to take everything in. Never in her life had she been so confused. On the plus side, though... three months later, _no one_ would be able to stand in her way.

She had done it.


	11. Sinnoh and the Silver Spoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Latias has been detected in Sinnoh, where Kris, Iris and Lyra will be sent to investigate. Meanwhile, the wealthy heiress of the Berlitz family decides she wants to go on a journey to study Pokémon.

**Chapter Eleven: _Sinnoh and the Silver Spoon_**

_**Location: The Berlitz Manor, Sandgem Town, Sinnoh** _

Dawn Berlitz, the older daughter of the 200-year old and obscenely wealthy Berlitz zaibatsu turned 17 today. An assortment of relatives, friends, co-workers of the family and opportunistic hangers-on wanting to make nice had gathered in the ballroom to celebrate this occasion. Everyone from the guests to the servants were there – except for one.

Dawn herself was locked in her room, laying on her extravagant bed, surrounded by piles and piles of books. Home-schooled and mostly kept separate from the 'commoners' of Sandgem Town and the rest of the Sinnoh countryside, Dawn passed her time by reading. Some fiction, but mostly educational stuff about history, geography, languages, sciences, and above all, Pokémon. Servants came knocking on her door several times and even Dawn's father bothered to climb up the stairs to call out for her, demanding her to change to her formal wear and parade herself around the ballroom to talk with some businesspeople or something. Dawn naturally ignored the first few comments, and as time went on, she became so immersed with _The Great Pokémon Encyclopedia_ that she didn't even hear what people were yelling. With a private washroom and plenty of food she had hoarded earlier today, Dawn had no reason to leave.

 _How much more new Pokémon can they discover_? Dawn wondered to herself. _This looks like a key chain_.

Dawn kept reading long after the party was over, currently immersed in a biography about the great Cynthia, who had been the Sinnoh League Champion for almost twenty years. Not only did the writer paint a vivid image of a side of the Sinnoh region Dawn had never even consider before, Cynthia had also traveled to exotic locations that captivated the young Berlitz's imagination. To think that a 'commoner' from Celestic Town could emerge victorious over incredibly powerful Pokémon trainers, becoming a world-acclaimed idol... it made Dawn's mind race over scenarios of the various adventures she and her potential Pokémon would get into.

And that point, she decided to go ahead with something she had planned for weeks.

The next morning, Dawn didn't show up for breakfast, irritating Dawn's mother in particular, but at noon, she finally showed her face, already dressed for adventure and carrying a large suitcase with her.

"Dawn, darling, don't scrape the floors with that," was the first thing Mrs. Berlitz told her daughter when she showed up in the living room with the suitcase. "And if that's another batch of laundry, you should have let the maid take care of that. Do you need new dresses again?"

"Mom, dad, Sebastian," Dawn addressed everyone in the room, including the family's elderly butler. "I've decided."

"You'll start taking business classes then?" Mrs. Berlitz asked. "About time. The company won't be there forever, you know, and we need a young, fresh face in the board already! Oh, and _what_ are you wearing? You look like a commoner. Honey, say something!"

Mr. Berlitz looked bothered and stalled for time by taking a sip from a glass the butler had brought him.

"Um," he said nervously, "your mother was very embarrassed yesterday when-"

" _We_ were embarrassed," Mrs. Berlitz corrected.

"Yes, sorry, _we_ were embarrassed when you didn't show up as planned and introduce yourself to your mother's business partners. Can you explain what was so important that you couldn't get out of your room?"

"Yes!" Dawn said. "I've been trying to-"

"Please don't raise your voice inside, Dawn, think of the flowers!" Mrs. Berlitz said harshly.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "I want to go on a Pokémon journey!" she said quickly.

Everyone stared at her in awkward silence for a while. Then-

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Mrs. Berlitz said. "I thought we talked about this a year ago-"

"When I said, 'I want to become a Pokémon trainer when I become 17', to which _you_ muttered incoherently-"

"I said 'no' in a very clear voice!"

"Okay, well, my memory failed me on _that_ one," Dawn muttered, "but this time it's different. I've been studying a lot and I know my way around! I know _everything_ there is to know about Pokémon _except_ how to put my skills to practice!"

"Stop stressing words so much, Dawn," Mrs. Berlitz said, holding her forehead like she was getting a migraine, "the flowers-"

"I don't _care_ about the flowers," Dawn said, "or about the company, or about the business partners – and I really don't want to have this conversation again for the sixth time!"

"I don't really know," Mr. Berlitz said, hesitating on every word and looking uncomfortable, "going out all by yourself, out in the strange world-"

"With Pokémon!" Dawn reminded and glanced at her mom. "Besides, what about the family tradition? About Mt. Coronet and-"

"Oh, _that_ old thing," Mrs. Berlitz scoffed and swept it aside with her hand. "The last person to do that was my great-grandmother, and even then it was considered old-fashioned."

"Maybe that's a particular tradition we could still use," Dawn said stubbornly. "I Dawn Berlitz, will climb on the top of Mt. Coronet, I'm going to obtain what I need to make the family crest, discover something of worth and capture a powerful Pokémon."

"With what?" Mr. Berlitz wondered.

"Sebastian, if you please," Dawn said cheerfully.

The butler bowed at Dawn and left the room, only to return momentarily with company: an old, stern-looking man wearing a suit and tie with a trench coat who also carried a case with him. Mr. Berlitz immediately practically stood at attention at the sight of the old man while Mrs. Berlitz flinched.

"Professor Rowan!" Mr. Berlitz squealed. "This is indeed an honor. For what do I-"

"Let's cut the banter short, shall we?" Rowan grunted and put his case on the nearest coffee table without asking permission. "I was asked to come here by young Dawn, and I agreed to formally support her upcoming journey. What people these days need is practical, hands-on experiences. As such..."

Rowan opened his case, revealing three Poké Balls and three red electronic devices.

"Here's a PokéDex, a handy tool for accessing information on any Pokémon you encounter," Rowan said gruffly as he handed one to Dawn. "And I assume you will go with the Pokémon you chose before...?"

"Yes!" Dawn exclaimed and opened one of the Poké Balls.

The Pokémon she had wanted since first laying eyes on it during one of her secret visits to the lab came out. It was a small, blue penguin-like creature that immediately puffed its chest proudly after coming out of the ball, only to lose its balance and fall down.

"Piplup, the Torrent Pokémon," Dawn explained to her bewildered parents. "A proud creature who is unwilling to accept help or food from humans. It is a poor walker, but a very skilled swimmer and can dive for over ten minutes!"

"It's a very difficult Pokémon to bond with," Rowan warned. "Are you sure you don't want Turtwig or Chimchar?"

"Nope!" Dawn said confidently. "I'm sticking with this!"

"Uh, no!" Mrs. Berlitz countered and stood up. "Did you not listen to a word I have said? Why should we allow you to wander off to Mt. Coronet alone with that... _thing_? It looks like it can hardly stand up, much less protect you from anything!"

"Actually, we have already taken care of _those_ arrangements," the butler spoke up suddenly. "Young miss Berlitz did not like it, but she agreed to have two bodyguards arranged for her. They're reliable and already waiting on Mt. Coronet. They'll meet Miss Dawn halfway through and help her reach the summit. She also asked me to add: 'not that she'd need any help, fools'. She can identify the bodyguards from a white and green scarf."

"The remaining two PokéDexes and starter Pokémon can be then given to said bodyguards," professor Rowan added. "Everything has been taken care of."

Dawn crossed her arms with finality while her parents still looked unsure.

"I'm going to climb on the summit!" she said firmly. "If you don't let me, I'll just break out of my room later."

Dawn's parents glanced at each other nervously. Her dad looked at the large suitcase Dawn had brought in.

"Did you bring your entire wardrobe with you?" he asked warily.

"Don't be silly, this is just for daily stuff," Dawn said in a 'don't-you-know-anything' voice. "Sebastian, could you please?"

The butler left the room again and pushed in a case that was three times larger and had to move on wheels.

" _That_ has my entire wardrobe in it!"

Dawn's mom pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes in annoyance.

"You know," she said slowly, "when you're out traveling on a Pokémon adventure, you _may_ just have to wear the same clothes for more than one day."

Dawn frowned. "You mean... for _two_ days? How gross! Cynthia's book didn't say anything about that!"

Dawn's parents exchanged glances again while Dawn shook her head.

"Well, that doesn't matter!" she said firmly. "Whether you like it or not, from this day on... I am a Pokémon trainer!"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh** _

"We are Pokémon Trainers!"

"I know, Lucas, I was there!"

"I know, but I'm so excited!"

Lucas and Barry were neighbors and best friends from Twinleaf Town. They had met when they were three years old, introduced to each other by their mothers, and bonded easily over their lack of experiences with their fathers. Lucas' dad was a Pokémon trainer who went on a journey and never came back, and while Barry knew his dad, Tower Tycoon Palmer from the Battle Frontier, he was practically never around.

The younger of the two, Lucas, had turned 17 a few days ago, and both obtained their Pokémon trainer licenses from Professor Rowan soon after. The prospect of traveling around Sinnoh for months and challenging all eight gyms seemed pretty harrowing to them, however, especially with the next Sinnoh League tournament beginning in a month.

Barry was waiting impatiently, as usual, outside Lucas' house, unable to stay still for more than three seconds, tapping his foot, running around and jumping up and down in place. Finally, Lucas and his mother, Johanna, came out, Johanna embarrassing her son with details about what she had packed and hugging him for several minutes straight.

"M-mom," Lucas stuttered and broke free of his mother's grip. "I can handle myself out there! Don't worry!"

"But you're going off out on your own without Pokémon," Johanna said in concern and glanced at Barry. "What did your mother say about all of this?"

"She was cool with it," Barry said evasively, his eyes darting back and forth. "Come on, Lucas, let's go!"

"Well, where are you two planning to go?" Johanna asked.

"We'll go where the wind takes us," Barry said dramatically. "We don't follow other people's commands, we have our own path, we're like two rōnin-"

"I thought you said we were going to Mt. Coronet," Lucas pointed out.

Barry stopped his ranting and sighed in annoyance.

"Plus I think it'd pretty hard for the wind to carry both our weights," Lucas said cluelessly, "I mean, maybe without our backpacks, but then we'd lose our food."

"Mt. Coronet?" Johanna repeated. "Why?"

"We just want to learn all about our great region," Barry said quickly and covered Lucas' mouth, "see historical landmarks and everything, obtain wisdom, something, something, then profit!"

"Well, if you pass through Hearthome City, there's always a chance to enter in Pokémon Contests," Johanna said slyly. "Wink, wink."

Lucas pushed Barry away. "Mom, please, we talked about this!" he whined. "I want to be a Pokémon trainer! And I don't want people to think I just want to coast on being the son of the Top Coordinator!"

"Well, at least give it a chance," Johanna implored. "Barry, please see to it that you'll at least visit the Contest Hall!"

"You got it, Mrs. Johanna, ma'am," Barry said and ran off. "Hurry up, Lucas, meet you on the beginning of Route 201! There's a one million fine if you're late!"

Lucas could barely keep up with Barry's blistering speed, but eventually reached the boy on the border of Twinleaf Town and Route 201, which later split into two paths, one leading to the beautiful lake just outside town and the other leading northeast to Sandgem Town, where professor Rowan lived.

True to his word, Barry was waiting with a stopwatch in hand, shaking his head.

"You got here fourteen seconds after my patience had ended," Barry lamented. "Don't worry, I'll just put that two million on your tab!"

"So," Lucas panted and stopped to catch his breath, holding on his aching sides. "Where are we... headed... really?"

"Mt. Coronet, like I said, duh!" Barry said quickly. "After that... who knows? The world is our Clamperl! But personally, I want to check all the lakes here!"

"I dunno," Lucas said between his deep breaths, "that old guy yelled at us for using his Pokémon back at Lake Verity..."

"It was kill or be killed!" Barry yelled. "You never know what's up with those bloodthirsty Starly! And he wasn't just some 'old guy'! Don't you know who he was?"

Lucas tried to think, but his mind was clouded by how hungry he was at the moment. "Guy... Old?"

Barry sighed. "Professor Rowan!" he exclaimed and snapped his fingers under Lucas' nose. "The one we got our licenses from!"

"Oh, right," Lucas said. "Well, if we go see him again-"

"Forget it!" Barry snapped. "It's not that guy scares me, but... uh, well, the point is, we'll find some awesome Pokémon at Mt. Coronet! Believe it! And after that, we'll go to Lake Valor, then Lake Acuity... and we'll _finally_ find the mythical Pokémon we've been looking for!"

Lucas shook his head. "Look, that Red Gyarados thing was _way_ back when and we've heard nothing about it since-"

"No, something even greater and rarer than that!" Barry insisted. "You'll see! It'll be something that'll shock this whole region! Now come on, we gotta get to Mt. Coronet! If you fall behind, I'm fining you another five million!"

And with that, Barry stormed off, leaving an exhausted and hungry Lucas trying to keep up the best he could.

**~o~O~o¨**

_**Location: Pallet Town, Kanto** _

Three months had passed since the Hoenn League. Since then, Kris had spent time in Hoenn training under the tutelage of Alder, Iris had been in Unova, studying what it took to be a gym leader and Lyra had been training on the countryside on the outskirts of Kanto under Karen and the rest of the Indigo League's Elite Four.

Iris was sitting on a bench at the foot of the hill where Professor Oak's lab stood on. She was feeding treats to a large, slimy and purple dragon-type Pokémon while holding a crumpled piece of paper in her hands. She had read the paper about one thousand and six times by now, but still had a hard time believing what it said. She had been invited to visit Oak's Pokémon Lab, and best of all, two of her closest friends would be joining her soon.

Indeed, it didn't take long until a familiar Braviary carrying a brown-haired girl landed right nearby. Iris immediately jumped on her feet and waved at the arrival.

"Lyra!" she yelled. "Over here!"

Iris and Lyra managed to exchange the usual pleasantries, but had no time for any deep conversation before the seven feet tall purple dragon stomped towards Lyra and grabbed her in a hug.

"Goodra!" Iris scolded and the dragon let Lyra down. "Sorry, but you don't need to be alarmed, though. Goodra just likes people a lot!"

Lyra nodded nervously and wiped the slime that Goodra had behind out of her clothes.

"I wish it wouldn't like _me_ as much," Lyra complained. "Still, I like it. I mean, it's pretty cute in a disgusting kind of way."

Iris smiled. "It did that to me as soon as it evolved. I wouldn't mind that, but then it did that to Drayden and pretty much everyone at the gym. It was really awkward."

"Oooooh~" Lyra exclaimed suddenly as she withdrew her Braviary. "So are you a gym leader now?"

Iris shook her head. "I still have a lot of reading to do. There's so many rules and obligations and stuff to memorize. And as fun as that was, I barely had any time to do anything else! If I was a gym leader, I probably wouldn't have had the time to come here."

Lyra nodded. "Now, since you're probably curious about _my_ training..."

"Um, well-"

"All right, I'll tell you!" Lyra said proudly. "First of all, I _love_ Karen. I mean, her fighting style, her grace, her wisdom, those awesome dark-type Pokémon! I just... damn it, she's cool! And all those others, Will, Koga, Bruno, they all took some time to chip in and help me with my training. I learned so much, but things _really_ got interesting when Karen gave me _this_!"

Lyra showed Iris that she was wearing a silver bracelet with a colorful stone attached to it.

"Purdy," Iris commented, "but what does it do?"

Lyra laughed arrogantly. "It is a secret so well-guarded that it's only known by the elite, the highest class of Pokémon trainers, originating from a faraway region where people take long vacations. It is not to be shared with just anyone!"

"So... you don't know?"

"No," Lyra sighed. "But I'm sure it will do _something_ to get me stronger. Um, not that I'm _too_ hung up about that."

"How so?"

"Well, I mean... strong Pokémon, weak Pokémon, really, those are just descriptions we humans came up with. As long as we trainers use Pokémon we really love the best, we can call ourselves elites. Just one of the many things I... well, nevermind."

Bothered by Iris' quizzical stare, Lyra looked away, only to notice something soaring towards them from the sky.

"Look, at the sky!" Lyra yelled and pointed.

"Is it a bird?" Iris asked.

"Yes!" Lyra confirmed. "And it's carrying something... someone..."

Lyra's face brightened when she got a confirmation on who that 'someone' was. The bird was a Honchkrow, carrying a dark-haired girl with it. The Honchkrow landed as close as Iris and Lyra as it could before disappearing into the girl's Poké Ball in a flash of red light.

"Kris!" Iris and Lyra yelled in unison.

Kris looked markedly different from before. She always looked kind of exhausted, but the training seemed to have done its toll on her, as she stood slouched, her eyes were puffy, her hair was tangled and messy and she had a prominent scar running across her cheek.

"Iris!" Kris greeted enthusiastically, then noticed Lyra. "Oh, and Lyra too... yay and stuff."

"Oh gosh!" Iris gasped when she noticed the scar. "What happened there?"

Kris just looked confused. "What, you don't like it? I mean, you don't think it looks kind of... badass?"

"No, it looks terrible," Lyra said bluntly.

Kris sighed. "Fine, I'll just take it off, then."

And so Kris did: she pulled the scar off her face like it was a sticker – which it apparently was.

"Um," Iris said warily, "is there any particular reason why you'd wear a fake scar?"

"I though it'd make the biggest impression. I mean, it's been three months, hasn't it?"

"Well, how was the training with Alder?"

Hearing these words made Kris' eyelids flutter and she lost her balance, forcing Iris and Lyra to catch her. Though Kris recovered, her body was entirely limp, like she couldn't stand, or just didn't feel like it.

"Sorry," she sighed, "it was one of the craziest things I've ever done."

"That bad, huh?" Lyra asked tactlessly.

Kris rolled her eyes. "For your information," she said without looking at Lyra, "it wasn't _bad_. Alder was amazing and treated me just like he'd treat any other student. But... my whole body hurts just thinking about it. We had to climb this mountain together with our Pokémon and spent four day picking up rocks. There was another bunch of people training under Alder, but they didn't get personal instruction like I did, so let's just say I wasn't exactly popular..."

"Have you ever been?" Lyra wondered.

"But really, it paid off, though," Kris said, ignoring Lyra. "Check 'em out!"

Kris tossed two Poké Balls into the air, causing two Pokémon to materialize nearby. The other one was Gardevoir, Kirlia's evolved form, though Kris' was slightly smaller than the one Wally had owned. The other one was a Pokémon neither Iris nor Lyra had seen before. It was mostly white and pale blue and floated in the air silently, its body looking like it could be hollow and resembling a kimono. Its head looked like it was wearing a mask, its real face being dark purple underneath. Its large eyes had yellow sclerae and blue irises. It reacted to the attention by narrowing its eyes at everyone and holding its 'hand' close to its mouth, as if it was laughing to itself.

Lyra opened her PokéDex and scanned the ghostly Pokémon.

"Froslass, ice- and ghost-type and evolved form of Snorunt," she read out loud. "It can freeze its foes with an icy breath nearly -50 degrees Celcius. It is then said to secretly put its frozen prey on display. Sinnoh legends say that a woman who was lost in a blizzard was reborn as the first Froslass."

"Isn't that nice?" Kris asked and fed a pellet of Pokémon food at Froslass – who didn't even seem to have a mouth. "And isn't she just the cutest?"

"I guess it's all relative," Iris muttered. "Now that we're all here, though, maybe we should go visit the lab."

The group withdrew all their Pokémon, walked up the hill and rang the doorbell. As they waited for someone to open the door, they looked around. The gardens and vast fields belonging to the professor and the various Pokémon that populated them could just barely be seen from their position, and right above them, the lab's enormous wind turbine's propellers kept on spinning.

Eventually, the man himself opened the door. Oak was an old but still active man with graying hair and prominent black eyebrows.

"Hello there!" he greeted. "Welcome to the world of Pokémon – as in, my laboratory. My name is Oak, but people call me the Pokémon Prof! I study Pokémon as a profession. Now, are you a boy or are you a girl?"

Kris, Iris and Lyra just glanced at each other in confusion, prompting Oak to laugh.

"Just joshing!" he chuckled. "Though I should probably stop doing that – no one comes by anymore. Now, is there anything I can help you with before I have you thrown out?"

When no one else said anything, Iris spoke up uncertainly.

"Um, professor Oak, we have an... invitation?" she said meekly, showing it to Oak, prompting Kris and Lyra to do the same. "We were supposed to come to the lab?"

"Oh, yes, _that_ thing," Oak sighed. "Considering I study Pokémon as a profession and have an _exquisitely_ popular radio show to run, I don't have time to do this a lot, but... well, I felt I was obligated. Come over here, he'll explain it to you."

Kris felt like it wasn't the smartest move ever, but she was curious about the invitation, so she followed Iris and Lyra and stepped into the laboratory. The trio followed Oak through the lab's first floor, and Kris was already impressed by the scale of it. Considering all she had seen before was Elm's dinky old place with that one assistant of his, Oak's lab had incredible machinery, lab assistants doing chemical experiments, studying Pokémon and taking notes or working on computers. And while everyone's lab coats were spotless and worn flawlessly, there was still a somewhat relaxed atmosphere about all this, and no one suddenly rushed to continue working when their boss walked by.

Professor Oak led the trio to the second floor and to a smaller lab without any other lab people except for one, whose shaggy appearance and crooked glasses were a sharp contrast to the other researchers there. However, as the unkempt man took his eyes off his laptop, Kris found herself smiling widely.

"Professor Elm!" Kris exclaimed.

Elm adjusted his glasses and smiled warmly at the arrivals. Lyra and Iris were also excited, though no one had the slightest idea on why he was there.

"I'm sorry to drag you three all the way out here, but my own, um, laboratory lacked the necessary equipment for this," Elm said awkwardly, apologetic from the get-go. "But, uh, well, it's... good to see you, I think. Plus I was aware that all three of you had other, err, arrangements. But this really is quite important, so-"

"What is it?!" Kris, Iris and Lyra said simultaneously, causing Elm to flinch.

Elm sighed, took off his glasses and started cleaning them while Oak closed the door of the office and locked it securely.

"Iris sent me reports about what happened to you in Hoenn," Elm said wearily. "I've been researching this 'Latias' these last three months, putting off almost everything else... but I've found nothing concrete about it, like where does its power come from, how can it communicate with humans, how it-"

"She," Lyra said.

"Um, sorry?" Elm asked, as if coming to a realization that there were indeed other people in the room.

"I mean," Lyra said, "Latias are all female. So this one is, too... I mean, you know, just for future reference..."

"I guess I'd be more inclined to be cordial if she hadn't tried to vaporize us all," Kris grumbled.

"Right, well," Elm said awkwardly, "sorry, I didn't know. Either way, eventually I did find some less than reliable info, but considering the other crazy things we've dealt with, I figured we might as well start trusting everything that's been written down. I believe Latias is part dragon- and part psychic-type, but this particular one, based on Iris' reports, may have obtained a third type, a dark-type, through some unknown, most likely human-caused, means."

"Steven told us about this abandoned research facility where they probably did awful experiments to her," Iris said. "I mean, when you think about it, it's kind of our fault that she's like tha-"

"No!" Kris snapped. "I knew someone was going to say that at some point! It's not 'our fault'! Maybe you'll want to feel guilty about how she ended up, but I sure as hell won't take the blame for some a-hole who decided to play with syringes. I know I haven't been the most exemplary person, but I haven't done _anything_ as bad as that."

Elm looked even more uncomfortable while Iris looked like she was about to respond with a rant of her own.

"Either way," he said quickly to prevent more arguing, "I got something from Blaine that'll help me detect her."

"Where is Dr. Blaine anyway?" Iris asked.

Elm shrugged. "He did help me a bit at first, though, but, uh, you know him. He's not one to stay in one place for too long."

Professor Oak turned off the lights in the room and pressed a remote button to activate the projector attached to the ceiling. A map of the area consisting of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and the Sevii Islands appeared on the wall, the image zooming to the northernmost region: Sinnoh. A red, blinking circle appeared on the southernmost tip of the Sinnoh region.

"That's where we believe she is now," Oak explained. "When professor Elm first mentioned this threat to me, my first thought was to notify the authorities. I still think that would be the _smart_ thing to do, but... Elm convinced me that we have a chance to try a different approach."

"And I was convinced by someone else," Elm said and smiled at Kris.

Kris also smiled when she was thinking about how Mewtwo saved their lives back in Hoenn. Even if Kris herself had disagreed about the issue with Blaine, it was most likely his stubbornness that made that rescue possible.

"So, what are supposed to do about it?" Lyra wondered.

Professor Oak handed Iris a small package that the girl immediately ripped apart enthusiastically, revealing a shiny new red PokéDex.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is as follows," Oak said pretentiously. "I realize this is much to ask, but someone should really go check on the Latias situation. The Sinnoh League is starting fairly soon, so you'll have a good reason to go there. But we don't want to incite any panic, so officially, you're merely doing an assignment for me: filling the PokéDex with information on Pokémon native to the Sinnoh region. The local gym leaders have been notified of this and will help you as much as they can, providing supplies and accommodations."

"And I can upgrade your PokéDexes," Elm told Kris and Lyra. "I also have good news for you Kris – I finally found a way to silence that annoying AI in the system!"

"Uh... silence?" Kris asked.

"Yes, I talked to the people who built, uh, SkrillDex, and according to them, the AI's personality should have altered itself to match with the personality of the user, but I have no idea how and why it stayed like that."

"Uh, yeah," Kris muttered. "Weird, that..."

Kris could practically hear Lyra suppressing laughter next to her. Nonetheless, the two gave Elm their PokéDexes, Kris doing so with an odd feeling of melancholy. It was weird: she had hoped to shut that sassy piece of circuitry up since she got the PokéDex, yet seeing Elm do his magic on the devices in a flash, connecting them to his laptop and doing some furious typing... she didn't feel happy about it for some reason. Before Kris could have second thoughts, Elm handed the Dex back to her.

"We've installed some useful programs in there," Elm said proudly. "There's a simplified version of Blaine's device for tracking down psychic energy, so you can track Latias' movements – we only ask you to make sure she doesn't cause any trouble for the population. So far, no incidents have been reported, but she only showed up in Sinnoh about a week ago."

"Why didn't you call us sooner?" Iris wondered and took her eyes off the various widgets in her cool new PokéDex.

"Well, um, like I said, I didn't want to disturb any of you during your respective, uh, engagements. But I couldn't just sit on this info either, so I took the liberty of sending, um, two eager volunteers there."

"Who?" Kris asked suspiciously.

"Miss Leaf, one of my most promising aides," professor Oak interjected. "We wouldn't have asked her otherwise, but apparently she had other issues to deal with there. She also left with that red-haired friend of hers."

Kris cringed.

"Goodie," she muttered.

"What other new apps did you put in here?" Lyra asked Elm eagerly.

"Well, um," Elm flustered, "an instant messaging app so the PokéDexes can communicate, even if one is in the bottom of the ocean, plus a way to communicate with us back in here. There's also a built-in flashlight, something that plays sounds only certain Pokémon can hear to repel them... and you can use the Internet 8,7 percent faster!"

"Sweet!" Lyra beamed. "You have no idea what it was like spending three months without Instagram!"

"A fate I wouldn't hope on anyone," Oak said quietly.

"Well, anyway," Elm said, looking at Kris, Iris and Lyra each. "Do you accept this mission? Bear in mind, those readings are fickle and not entirely reliable; plus Latias keeps moving around a _lot_ , so I'd rather you go in separate directions. At least you'll be in the same region, though."

"You don't even have to ask, professor," Iris said and stood at attention. "I'll do it! I mean, we'll totally do it, right, girls?"

"Well _I_ certainly will!" Lyra said. "I'm going to fill that PokéDex so hard!"

"I think you're missing the point, Lyra," Iris said delicately.

Kris nodded at Elm. "You can count on us. After that training with Alder, I'm ready for anything – including the Sinnoh League. Oh, and Latias, too. I kind of want to know what her major malfunction is."

Elm smiled and sighed in relief. "I knew I could count on you," he said. "You're not only reliable, but you're all excellent trainers and I know you can take care of yourselves. Iris, I'd like for you to get to Celestic Town first, then get to north Sinnoh from there. Leaf and Silver are already checking out the western part, which leaves east Sinnoh to... well, and this is kind of the hardest part... Lyra, Kris, I'd like for you two to... work together on this one."

The reaction was predictable. Kris yelled 'WHAT?!' loudly and almost dropped her upgraded PokéDex while Lyra's eyes widened and she started babbling loudly, though nothing could be heard over Kris' ranting:

"-expect me to work with-"

"-I mean, this is all too sudden, and I haven't even-"

"-hate her with every fiber of my-"

"-I can't work with her, I mean, not right now, I mean, what if she-"

"-and cut her eye out with a spoon if I spend more than an hour with-"

"-I just don't want it to get awkward!"

Elm raised his hands and backed away from Kris and Lyra in his chair, sweating profusely.

"Um, I, uh... I stick with my choice!" he squeaked. "Your Pokémon and your respective styles of battle and training compliment each other well, but that's just _one_ reason. Really, though, you may not remember, but together, you helped me a lot in my research when you were kids. I'd, uh, like you to give it one more shot."

Kris and Lyra tried hard to avoid looking at each other.

"At least try," Elm said. "Lyra, your Braviary is strong enough to carry you both into Solaceon Town. From there, I suggest you head to Hearthome, lots of people there. After which you should..."

Elm and Oak gave the trio some last-minute instructions, after which Iris stormed off to catch the ferry that would take her to Sinnoh. Kris and Lyra walked to the edge of Pallet Town in silence, and even after Lyra let out her Braviary, the two didn't do anything, just stood staring in the opposite directions.

"So, um," Lyra said awkwardly. "You want to be in the front or in the back?"

"Does it matter?" Kris asked with a sigh. "I'm going to sit with you all the way until Sinnoh. _Sinnoh_. Won't that take, like, hours?"

"...yes?"

"Well, if we're going to be working together," Kris began, "we-"

"Need a cool team name? Like, 'Team Go-Getters'?"

"...I was going to say, we should at least try to be civil to each other. And by we, I mean you."

"Oh, come on!" Lyra protested. "I am the civilest! The civilisest! Besides, I thought you were over that stupid thing already! I mean, didn't that thing back in Ever Grande do anything to you?"

Kris looked at Lyra suspiciously. "What _thing_? We never-"

"I mean when we hugged!" Lyra said.

"Should it have?"

"You know what, fine," Lyra sighed and climbed on the Braviary's back. "You're riding behind me. If you're not going to put any effort into this team, I will – for the sake of Elm and the others."

"Always out to hog all the glory," Kris mused and shook her head, but climbed on the large, intimidating bird Pokémon anyway.

Having to sit behind and uncomfortably close to Lyra, Kris was even more disappointed by the fact that there was nothing to hold onto, which meant having to awkwardly hold on Lyra.

"Let's just get going," Kris said like it was causing her physical pain.

"Onwards, to the great north, to Sinnoh!" Lyra yelled, and the Braviary soared to the sky.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Somewhere in western Sinnoh** _

A boy with long, blazing red hair and piercing, silver-gray eyes sat in a fetal position at a campfire, staring into the flames with a glazed look. When a brown-haired girl about a year older than him arrived carrying firewood, the boy was snapped into reality with a flinch.

"Gee, sorry," the girl, Leaf, remarked, though with affection. "I bet I was interrupting something _really_ important. I bet you were just working your way to the formula for cold fusion."

The boy, Silver, swept his hair off his face grumpily, prompting Leaf to laugh.

"It _was_ important," he muttered.

"Uh-huh," Leaf grinned. "You ready to tell me this time? Unlike the past four times, you know."

Silver sighed, but to Leaf's surprise, patted the ground next to him, prompting Leaf to put the firewood down and sit down. Silver continued to stare at the flames, going through long periods without even blinking.

"Have I told you about my father?" he asked suddenly.

Leaf tilted her head. "Well, umm... no," she said honestly. "To be honest, I thought you-"

"Yeah, I don't know where he is," Silver said, "or who he is. But a while ago, when I visited my old house in Cherrygrove City... I think I found a clue. Underneath all that rubble, there was a plaque, one that was specifically given to the champion of the Sinnoh league."

Leaf raised her eyebrows at that news. "So, your dad is... Cynthia?"

Silver smiled briefly. "No," he said seriously. "But he was the Champion before her. The name had been cut off, though, and I doubt he'd use his real name anyway. But somewhere in here, there's a clue that'll tell us who he is."

"Did you say ' _us_ ' or am I hallucinating?" Leaf quipped.

Silver sighed. "I can't do it without your help," he admitted. "I would have come to Sinnoh regardless, but... well, you can see why I was so eager to help."

"Indeed," Leaf nodded. "And it was a good thing Elm sent us here. There might be another one of Pryce's 'children' in here. The one we saw in Kanto was doing fine, but I have a sneaking suspicion..."

"But you have a reason of your own to come here as well, don't you?" Silver asked knowingly.

Leaf nodded again and leaned on her knees, also turning to stare at the fire.

"You know what happened to my friends, right?" she asked, prompting Silver to nod awkwardly. "They say a Pokémon called Suicune did it, and it happened right here in Sinnoh, at Route 224. I'm not saying we need to get there right away-"

"We'll get there," Silver said firmly. "I can't ignore all your help."

Leaf and Silver bumped their fists together and smiled at each other reassuringly.

"So what are you going to do when you find out the truth?" Silver asked Leaf. "I mean, I don't really know if a Pokémon could have killed them, but if that's what really happened... what happens then?"

Leaf didn't smile anymore. "Justice," she said quietly.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Mt. Coronet, Sinnoh** _

Wearing their winter coats and scarves, Lucas and Barry made their way through the blizzard raging all over the mountains. Coronet was actually an incredibly long mountain range that effectively split most of the Sinnoh region in three parts: west, east and north. The peak they were headed to now was one of the smaller ones, but Barry still treated the climb like it was a deadly serious endeavor. So far, though, they hadn't seen a single Pokémon or other human being, just rocks and snow.

"Barry, you should really slow down," Lucas yelled, having hard time keeping up with the hyperactive boy. "We don't want to get separated from each other!"

"I just _know_ there'll be _something_ interesting at the summit if we just get there!" Barry insisted, but stopped to wait for Lucas. "Keep up, will ya? If you're feeling exhausted, grab one of those RageCandybars and keep moving! There's another ten million fine for you if you're late!"

"I kind of ate the last one... an hour ago," Lucas said sheepishly as he finally caught up with Barry. "What about you, though? Don't you _ever_ get tired? Oh, and you should really button your jacket better, you'll catch a cold!"

"Thanks, _mom_!" Barry groaned.

"No, Barry, I'm Lucas. Are you okay?" Lucas said in concern and put his hand on Barry's forehead. "Well, I'm not feeling a fever..."

Barry slapped Lucas' hand away.

"Could you not?!" he complained. "If you keep screwing around like that, we won't get to the peak before nightfall! And furthermore, I... I... Lucas, look!"

Barry grabbed Lucas' head and turned it to face the direction he was point at. A pile of snow not too far from them was visibly shaking, as if something was moving underneath it. Without any further planning, Barry grabbed an empty Poké Ball from his bag and kissed it good luck.

"You just watch, Lucas!" he said smugly. "I'm well on my way of getting my first Pokémon – before you! Hah!"

Barry chucked the Poké Ball as hard as he could towards the shaking pile of snow, but instead of the satisfying sound of an unsuspecting Pokémon being sucked inside, he heard the sound of a man yelling in pain. Next, a strange blue-haired man wearing spacesuit-like uniform emerged from the pile of snow with a big bump on his head, sticking out from under his bowl cut.

"Hey, what's the bright idea?!" he whined. "I don't come to _your_ house to throw Poké Balls at you!"

"You live here?" Lucas wondered.

"I mean, I don't come to ruin _your_ secret operation by throwing Poké Balls at you!"

"What?!" Barry asked.

"I mean... crap, let's start over!"

The man wiped his weird spacesuit-thing clean of snow and posed dramatically.

"You have trespassed into Team Galactic territory!" the man yelled. "For this heinous crime, I sentence you to death! For I, B-2, am Team Galactic's finest warrior!"

"Team Who?" Barry wondered. "And seriously, what is up with that hair? And why are you wearing mismatched boots?"

"Heh, B-2," Lucas chuckled. "It sounds like 'booty'!"

"It does?" Barry asked.

"Yeah, I mean, if you pronounce it a certain way..."

"Oh, yeah, kinda," Barry laughed. "Oi, B-2! Is that your _real_ name?"

"As a grunt, I am not entitled to one!" B-2 said. "You dare mock me for it? I'll show you the true terror of Team Galactic! Fellas!"

Three more men in similar spacesuits, all with the same blue bowl cut, appeared from similar hideouts from under the snow. Barry and Lucas got closer to each other, realizing the men were coming from every direction, effectively surrounding them.

"Now, bring out your Pokémon to fight and we'll kill you!" B-2 yelled.

"You mean 'or we'll kill you'?" Barry asked.

"No."

"Well, we don't have any Pokémon!" Lucas shouted.

"Oh, good," B-2 said. "Then we'll just skip to the second part!"

Red flashes appeared all over as the men sent out various Pokémon: a few Bronzor, several Golbat and two Dustox. Lucas and Barry hugged each other involuntarily, unable to run or protect themselves in any way, while B-2 prepared to give the command.

But he was interrupted by constantly approaching, thunderous sounds that made the ground shake. Suddenly, the blizzard around the mountain intensified, preventing anyone from seeing farther than their noses. A large shadow appeared above two of the men and their Dustox, and after some brief noises of struggling and a few pained yowls, there was silence.

As usual, Lucas had little idea on what was going on. What he did know that he and Barry were still alive and someone besides them and the strange men in spacesuits was on the mountain.

"Hey, Barry," Lucas whispered.

"You mind?" Barry muttered. "They're not that far away and they can hear us."

"Nah, they won't hear us over this blizz-"

"I heard you!" yelled one of the men in spacesuits who suddenly emerged from the blizzard along with a Golbat.

Lucas was so startled that he lost his balance, pulling Barry down on the ground with him. His vision was obscured when the blizzard intensified again, the wind rushing against his face. He cringed, awaiting for the Golbat's strike, but it never came. First, he heard the Golbat shriek and hit the ground. Next, its trainer did the same.

"Well look at that," Barry deadpanned. "He heard us."

"Well, maybe the others won't hear us over _this_ blizzard," Lucas whispered. "Plus I think something just saved our lives."

"I'll thank it in my memoirs," Barry muttered. "Maybe we should get out of here while we still can."

"But what about getting to the summit?"

"How about _you_ shutting up and doing what I'm telling you to!"

"And how about you," a voice suddenly called out, "stay still so I can _bash your skulls_ in."

"No need to get so aggressive, Barry," Lucas said.

"It's not me, you idiot!"

B-2 suddenly appeared, wielding a long wooden _bō_ ready to strike Lucas and Barry down.

"Ancient Power!"

No one saw where that sudden shout came from, but it was soon followed by a glowing silver orb that struck B-2 straight in the rear. Yelling in pain and holding his swollen buttocks, B-2 dropped his staff and ran away, yelling incoherent orders at the other grunts to retreat, though most of them, including their Pokémon, were out cold.

As the raging blizzard finally calmed down and the wind subsided, Lucas and Barry got a good look of their savior. The Pokémon was a Mamoswine, a very large creature covered in thick brown fur with two huge, deadly-looking tusks. Riding the Mamoswine was a girl with dark, indigo hair wearing protective goggles. As she coolly jumped off her Mamoswine's back, all the while carrying a large suitcase, Lucas let out a sigh.

"Such power..." he said, unable to keep his eyes off the arrival.

"So, we have you to thank for saving us, huh?" Barry asked, ignoring Lucas. "Cool. Not that we needed help."

"Well, it's good that you finally arrived," the girl said. "I've searched all over for you!"

Lucas' face went red. "Y-you have?"

"Uh, yes! Duh, get with the program! The one with the white scarf and the one with the green scarf; you're my bodyguards, right? Though this is not starting well if my first encounter has _me_ saving you two. With a Pokémon I _just_ caught, mind you!"

"No need to be snippy about it!" Barry protested.

The girl took off her goggles, eying Lucas and Barry suspiciously.

"You're awfully young," she remarked. "How are you two going to be of any help? You look like you're on the verge of fainting from climbing this little molehill!"

"Hey!" Barry snapped. "We've had enough of your attitude! Who do you think you are anyway?"

"Hmph!" the girl said. "I thought Sebastian already went through the trouble of saving me from introducing myself to commoners, but so be it. I am Dawn Berlitz, the one you two are supposed to serve and protect. Though you may call me 'Lady Berlitz'."

"B-bodyguards?" Lucas muttered.

Dawn tossed a small yellow bag at Lucas and Barry's feet.

"Here you go," she said. "Two starter Pokémon and PokéDexes from professor Rowan. The grass-type is Turtwig and the fire-type is called Chimchar. Feel free to take a moment to decide who gets whom."

"Um, look," Lucas began, "there has to be some kind of misund-"

"Excuse me for one moment, miss Lady miss," Barry said and covered Lucas' mouth, dragging him away. "We wouldn't want to keep you royal richness waiting!"

When Barry was certain that Dawn was out of earshot, he finally let go of Lucas.

"Did you hear that?!" Barry ranted at Lucas, unable to stay still, a mad gleam in his eyes. "We got the Pokémon we were looking for! And they're from professor Rowan's lab!"

"Yeah, but," Lucas said uncertainly, "since when have we been bodyguards? Unless... no, I'm pretty sure I'd remember if I signed up to be one."

"Are you kidding me?! Don't you know who she is?"

"A person we owe our lives to," Lucas sighed wistfully.

Barry flicked Lucas on the forehead. "Wake up!" he snapped. "Berlitz! One of the five most financially powerful families left! She must be their eldest child! The heir to their fortunes! Think what this could mean for us!"

"...cake?"

"Money!" Barry said, wiping some drool off his face. "Riches beyond imagination! And all we have to do is make sure she's safe. I'm sure this is just some tradition thing. We have to escort her somewhere, and along the way, we make nice with her, then BOOM! We'll be rolling in the big yens in no time!"

"But this still isn't right," Lucas muttered.

Barry rolled his eyes. "Look, this is our only chance of getting some decent Pokémon," he said firmly, "and besides, are you just going to tell her no? She came all this way and saved our lives, and now you're going to send her away, with all those unruly ne'er-do-wells hanging around?"

Barry didn't wait for Lucas' answer, but grabbed the Poké Ball marked with a flame symbol from the blue bag. Lucas sighed, but slowly did the same himself. He then grabbed one of the PokéDexes and immediately scanned the Poké Ball he was holding with it. The image of a green, quadrupedal Pokémon with a small seedling sticking out of its head appeared on the screen, the text confirming that the Pokémon was a Turtwig.

"Nice to meet you, Turtwig," Lucas told the Poké Ball quietly. "We're going to be friends, you and I. Okay, Barry," he said as he turned to his friend. "I'll do it, but we're going to have to come clean at some point!"

"We will, we will," Barry assured.

"Okay, good," Lucas said and sighed as he turned to look at Dawn, who was petting the enormous Mamoswine and playing with it like it was a tiny Swinub. "I gotta admit, though, the way she battled, that cool confidence, and from such a historical family... I kind of look forward to traveling with her."

"'Atta b- wait, what?"

"Shall we?"

"Uh... sure."

And with that, Lucas and Barry returned to Dawn and went along with the bodyguard story. Fortunately for them, Dawn quickly got them up to speed about what she was up to and about how she was supposed to run an errand for her family by heading to Floaroma Town. Tired of walking, Lucas expected them to be able to ride on Dawn's Mamoswine, but had to suppress a groan when he saw Dawn returning it to it Poké Ball.

"I captured it just a few hours ago and it needs some rest," Dawn explained. "A little walk will do us good. You, with the beret!"

"Um... the name's Lucas, ma'am!" Lucas said awkwardly and stood at attention.

"How amusing," Dawn said. "Can I trust you to be in charge of carrying my bag?" she asked and tossed the large suitcase in front of Lucas.

"Absolutely, Lady Berlitz!" Lucas promised and grabbed the bag's handle.

But the case wouldn't budge, even though Lucas had seen Dawn carry it around like it was full of feathers. To Lucas, it felt like it had been crammed full of bricks. Finally, with much difficulty and using both arms, Lucas raised the case above his head and carried it on his shoulder.

"You're..." he panted. "Traveling lightly, I see..."

"I only brought the essentials... unfortunately," Dawn said. "Now, onwards!"

The blizzard was too thick for them to see it, but as Dawn, Lucas and Barry started descending the mountain, a red and white creature flew through the air right above them at almost supersonic speed, heading to places unknown.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Somewhere around the seas of east Hoenn** _

_**1 AM** _

A whole area in east Hoenn had been entirely isolated ever since a storm that almost wiped out the region had been brewing there. Now no one had any reason to visit the area. Yet, a lone Kingler was making its way through the seafloor, combing the dark depths of the ocean in search of something, a Lanturn swimming next to it and illuminating a path. The Kingler's pincers had been digging through the mud for hours, but at last, the Pokémon found what it was looking for: two glass orbs, one red and one blue. Kingler grabbed the spheres, and together with the Lanturn, returned to the surface.

There, standing on a rock practically in the middle of nowhere, their trainer, a large man in a fancy suit awaited. As Kingler and Lanturn emerged from the water, he grabbed the orbs from Kingler, praising the Pokémon for its good deed. Next, he held the orbs high in the air, letting the moon's light reflect off them.

"Well," Giovanni remarked, "these should come in handy."


	12. Frienemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kris and Lyra have to tolerate each other while Barry is trying to do the same to the spoiled Dawn and dimwitted Lucas.

**Chapter Twelve: _Frienemies_**

A few days had passed since Dawn met Lucas and Barry at Mt. Coronet. Since then, Dawn had promised the duo that she'd 'release them from her servitude' very soon. What made Barry not trust that statement was that Dawn had said it about twenty-seven times. Together, they had climbed down the mountain and headed to Jubilife City, where Dawn forced the two to accompany her as she traveled from shop to shop in search of 'something worthy'. That something eluded her, but she _did_ seem to find tons of new clothing, jewelry and books, most of which she had sent to her house. Lucas and Barry had to carry all of it, of course. Barry had a lot of complaints to offer, but kept them at the level of quiet grumbling as long as Dawn paid for Lucas and Barry's food and lodgings. But when Lucas and Barry were alone in their hotel room playing with their Pokémon that night, Lucas seemed to have kept quiet as long as he could.

"Turtwig, Razor Leaf!" Lucas yelled at his unresponsive Turtwig in an attempt to teach it battling skills.

In response, however, Turtwig just headbutted the nightstand, causing the lamp on it to drop on the floor and shatter. Lucas cringed.

"Dang it," he grumbled, but soon went back to his usual cheerful self. "Oh, well, maybe _ojou-sama_ will have that added to the bill."

"Who?" wondered Barry, who was chucking treats at his Chimchar while walking around the room impatiently reading a training guide.

"Lady Berlitz of course!"

Barry sighed. "Can't you just call her Dawn? I mean, she's not around to hear us!"

"How disrespectful!" Lucas said in shock. "I could never do that. She... she deserves our respect after all," he added with a blush.

Barry raised his eyebrows at that.

"You know, there's a line between respect and slavish worship," he said.

"...your point being?"

"Get down from your fantasy land just this once, Lucas!" Barry yelled. "I know what your deal is with her and you should just forget it! Focus on our Pokémon training instead! We're just dirt compared to the Berlitz... Berlitzes... Berle... _them_!"

Lucas blushed even more. "I don't know what you're talking about..."

"There are some Zubat living in a cave in the middle of nowhere in the Unova region who know what I'm talking about!" Barry snapped. "We're here to get some money out of her – and that's it!"

"Are we going to keep lying to her?" Lucas moaned. "I don't think I can do it. The way she looks, it's like she can see into my head. Not to mention it causes a huge knot in my stomach and my hands start shaking and sweating and-"

"You're doing a great job hiding it, Lucas," Barry said venomously.

So, the trio had to travel yet another day with Lucas keeping his feelings inside him. From Jubilife, they headed to a Floaroma Town, as Dawn wanted to see the flower shop. Barry kept quietly grumbling about having to carry Dawn's purchases, occasionally glaring at Lucas, as if reading Lucas' mind.

Most of the day was dedicated to traveling, the group staying a night at a rural Pokémon Center on Route 204. Along the way, the group got a chance to expand their teams and train their Pokémon, Dawn capturing a Pachirisu, Lucas catching a Starly and Barry snagging a Buizel.

The next day, when Barry was sent to take the group's bags to the Pokémon Center, Lucas was left alone with Dawn as they headed for the local flower shop called 'Pick a Peck of Colors'. The store wasn't the only reason to stay in town, even if it was behind Arceus' back in the corner of no and where. The town was in the middle of vast, beautiful meadows, with little to no asphalt, pollution or other human influence besides buildings around. The town itself could even be smelled from far away, being in the middle of a sprawling sea of flowers, narrow dirt roads running between the flora and connecting the buildings to each other. The flower shop was smack dab in the middle of town, between the biggest and most colorful cluster of flowers around.

While inside Pick a Peck of Colors, Lucas felt even more awkward than ever. Without Barry's terrifying influence, he was constantly on the verge of spilling the beans, but patiently listened to Dawn telling Lucas tidbits about the various flowers in the store.

"Just how do you know so much?" Lucas wondered in amazement.

"Why do you seem so surprised?" Dawn asked playfully.

Lucas didn't catch the tone, though, and got flustered. "I, um, I didn't mean it, miss Berlitz! I was honestly just awed! I just... I mean, I shouldn't have assumed anything, I just-"

"Relax," Dawn said. "You have time to study things when you can't go anywhere without your parents... or a servant."

Dawn turned to smile at Lucas.

"That's why I've enjoyed this trip so far," she said. "To be able to get out, with good, dependable people, no less! You and your friend are definitely different from what I assumed. You... amuse me."

Lucas wasn't sure if that was a positive thing, so he said nothing. But the feeling of guilt in his stomach kept getting worse, to the point of physically hurting him. As Dawn turned to read a poster near the cash register, Lucas closed his eyes and, despite the image of Barry's strict face flashing before him, decided that now was the time:

"Ihavetotellyousomething!" Lucas rattled quickly.

Dawn turned to look at him. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"Miss Berlitz," Lucas said awkwardly. "I meant-"

"Please, I allow you to use Dawn."

"Okay, D-dawn. Then, you can use my name, too."

"I'll work on it. Please tell me what you wanted to say, commoner."

Lucas stared at the floor while talking. "I have to confess something. Me and Barry... we're not actually your bodyguards."

Dawn tilted her head.

"Pardon?"

"I'm sorry!" Lucas cried out and closed his eyes, unaware that many people in the store started staring. "I deceived you! I would have protected you or done anything else a bodyguard is supposed to, just as long as you asked – without payment, of course."

Dawn didn't look angry, just confused. " _Why_?!" she wondered.

Lucas opened his eyes slowly and turned away, pretending to look at an interestingly colored flower.

"I wanted to travel with you," he muttered, "and I... well, it's not fair to put this all on him, but Barry-"

Speaking of the devil, Barry himself stormed into the room just at that moment, almost crushing a customer along the way.

"Lucas we gotta-" Barry stopped yelling as he noticed Dawn's presence. "Oh, excuse me, _Miss Berlitz_ ," he said, voice heavy with sarcasm, "I kind of wanted to talk to my fellow bodyguard-"

"Don't bother, Barry," Lucas said in a resigned voice. "I told her the truth."

This pushed Barry over the edge. He swung his arm, almost knocking out another customer walking by and wanting to get out of the store, as he pointed at Lucas dramatically.

"I knew it!" he yelled. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you! That's it! I know what your deal is, Lucas, and I want none of that! From now on, I travel alone! Call me when you've come to your senses!"

As much as he was usually all talk, Barry followed through by storming out of the flower shop, slamming the door behind him with tremendous impact. Everyone continued their business except for Dawn and Lucas – an awkward silence had formed between them.

"Well," Lucas said quietly, afraid to look at Dawn in the eyes. "Guess I should be going, too..."

"Why?" Dawn asked.

"Um, is this a trick question?"

"Didn't you promise to accompany me on this journey?" Dawn asked assertively as she approached Lucas with her hands on her hips.

"I... did I do that? I mean, I guess, but I'm not a bodyguard. I didn't even go to bodyguard academy!"

"Yeah, to tell you the truth, I'd much rather travel with someone my age," Dawn said nonchalantly, and suddenly grinned mischievously. "Not to mention... if my parents think I'm really with bodyguards, that means I'm free to go _wherever_ I want..."

"Can you do that?" Lucas asked carefully. "And shouldn't you be mad at me?"

"I don't appreciate being lied to, especially by someone of a lower class," Dawn said strictly, "so from now on, when you're in my presence, remember to be honest at all times."

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Lucas said awkwardly and stood at attention for some reason.

Dawn laughed. "You have a lot to learn," she said playfully. "Why, I could transform you into a real gentleman if I wanted to..."

Lucas couldn't help but to blush again.

"...but now, it's enough if you just stay with me until I decide otherwise," Dawn said. "And right now, I want to see the Valley Windworks!"

"Um, the what?"

"Duh!"

Dawn shoved a small map of the Sinnoh region in Lucas' face.

"It's a wind-powered plant just outside town," she said. "I read about it a lot – apparently it produces all of this town's energy and sells it to elsewhere in west Sinnoh, too. Isn't that cool?"

"Um-"

"Who am I kidding, of course it is! Now come on!"

Lucas' interest wasn't piqued, but to see Dawn smiling like that and being friendly to him even after Lucas confessed his lie... it felt like a huge weight had come off his chest and he was able to breathe easy. Lucas was happy to carry Dawn's purchases out of the store and all the way to the power plant. It was like nothing could ruin his day.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Meanwhile, in a Pokémon Center on Route 210** _

Kris' PokéGear's alarm rang as early as at eleven in the morning that day. And yet, it took a monumental effort for Kris to reach out for it and turn it off. The bed in the private room of that roadside Pokémon Center was surprisingly soft and, unlike many other places she had slept thus far, completely clean. And yet, she felt annoyed for reasons she was too tired to understand.

"Something is going to ruin this day," Kris grumbled and decided to rest her eyes for a couple more minutes, rolling over on the bed.

And at that moment, instead of having a king-size bed all for herself, Kris rolled on another person's arm, causing the arm's owner to wake up and Kris to let out an annoyed yelp. Suddenly, she remembered why she was on such a bad mood.

"There are better ways to wake someone up, Kris," Lyra complained and rubbed her eyes while crawling into view from under a thick blanket. "You should have put an alarm on."

"It _was_ on," Kris said as if she had been awake for long.

Instead of their intended destination, Solaceon Town, a navigational error had led to Kris and Lyra landing in Celestic Town, then getting lost due to the thick fog in the area. Apparently one needed a special HM to deal with the fog, which sounded just plain absurd to them. Kris blamed Lyra and her Braviary for their terrible sense of direction, while Lyra blamed Kris for reading the map wrong. So far, they had spent their nights in roadside Pokémon centers and occasionally camping outside in the cold.

At the moment, they prepared to head for Solaceon Town, which should be only a two hour hike away. Which meant a lot of awkward silence occasionally broken by some insults from Kris and some seemingly nice things said in an insulting way by Lyra.

"Look, Kris," Lyra said after a long silence, "when you're ready to apologize for your crappy map-reading, feel free! I totally forgive you! You just need to say it!"

Lyra's sincerity made it even more aggravating. Kris just angrily kicked a random pebble on the ground and didn't say anything. So, Lyra took out her brand new and upgraded PokéDex and started fiddling with it.

"Where's the camera?" Lyra wondered. "I haven't posted a new selfie in, like, forever..."

"I'm sure there are people weeping out there because of that fact," Kris grumbled.

"Should have read the manual," Lyra sighed and turned to look at Kris, "say, you never read manuals either, right? How'd you get that thing of yours working properly?"

Kris raised her eyebrows at this.

"Uh, excuse me, your mouth is making strange noises again," she said. "When have I _not_ read them?"

"Well, whenever professor Elm had us test new devices, you'd usually break them within ten mi-"

"I thought," Kris hissed, "we weren't supposed to talk about those days."

Lyra just looked confused. "Did we agree to do something like that? I don't remember..."

Kris' eye twitched. "There are these things called signals," she said, "they're – you know what, forget it. It's like trying teach nuclear physics to a tree."

Lyra frowned and tried to think of a good comeback. "Well... it is not!" she countered and smiled in self-satisfaction.

Kris rolled her eyes.

"And besides, if something is up, what's wrong with talking about it?" Lyra wondered earnestly. "If something that important is bothering you, why not just say it out loud?"

Kris opened her mouth, but quite honestly, couldn't think of anything to reply to that. So, she just pretended not to listen while Lyra shrugged and started fiddling with her PokéDex again.

"I'm so going to catch all of the Pokémon," Lyra boasted. "I'll walk up to professor Oak and shove this thing up his face with data on _every_ Pokémon in Sinnoh. We'll see how he feels after that..."

"What?" Kris wondered. "That's not why we're here!"

Lyra turned to look at Kris as if she had just spoken to her in Bulgarian.

"Latias, remember?" Kris asked. "That thing that almost destroyed us in Hoenn?"

"Oh, right," Lyra said absentmindedly. "Well, that's no reason to ignore – _Kris, look_!"

Lyra extended her arm, causing Kris to bump into it and grunt in annoyance. Lyra was pointing at a Pokémon that had just emerged from the bushes: a creepy, red bug-type thing that looked like it had a big black mustache. As it spotted Kris and Lyra, it made a noise Kris could only describe as being incredibly annoying. Lyra scanned it immediately.

"Kricketune, the Cricket Pokémon and evolved form of Kricketot," Lyra read, "bug-type, three feet and three inches. Its arms are as sharp as knives. It signals its emotions with melodies that scientists are attempting to decipher."

"That annoying sound?" Kris wondered. "Well, it's a pretty good expression of _my_ feelings at the moment..."

Lyra grabbed an empty Poké Ball and attempted to toss it at the Kricketune. But something else emerged from the bushes, scaring the bug-type away. It was a tall man in a fancy dark suit, wearing a domino mask over his face for some reason. He caught the Poké Ball with his gloved hand suavely while smirking at Kris and Lyra.

"At last!" he proclaimed. "I have found you two, and there are no obstacles between me and my _vengeance_!"

Kris and Lyra glanced at each other in confusion, then turned to stare at the arrival cluelessly.

"A friend of yours?" Lyra asked. "Oh, wait, I guess not."

"Ha-ha!" Kris mock-laughed. "I honestly thought he was your friend – he irritates me almost as much already."

The suited man looked frustrated.

"It's me!" he whined, but Kris and Lyra were still clueless. "Missile!"

Both Kris and Lyra made an 'ohhhhh' sound and nodded. Missile looked satisfied.

"Yes, quite a surprise to see me in Sinnoh, I know," he said and crossed his arms. "Mild-mannered, yet handsomely elusive Missile, former Team Rocket before he turned on the side of all that is just and good-"

"He's the annoying guy, isn't he?" Lyra asked Kris.

"That he be," Kris said, crossed her arms and glared up at Missile. "I had no idea he's _this_ persistent."

"Annoying?!" Missile gasped. "Surely you're not referring to yours truly? Don't you even want to know how I found you? Or why I'm here?"

"No," Kris deadpanned, "but you're going to tell us anyw-"

"Fine, then I shall tell!" Missile interrupted. "Oh, it is a tale of woe, it is. After me and Miss Tacky Overalls here banded together – with some other chumps, I suppose – to take on Team Rocket, my career as a knight of justice took a nosedive! I was arrested based on some bogus charge! 'Association with a criminal organization'! Bah! 'Multiple counts of assault, robbery and backtalk'! Nonsense! But as they kept me in that lockup, I was sure that my dear friend would come to my aid, testifying on my behalf, telling everyone about my courageous battle against the evil Team Rocket!"

As Missile stopped to see Kris and Lyra's reaction, he huffed in disappointment when Kris was yawning and staring into space while Lyra was on her PokéDex again.

"I can't believe you're comparing me to him," Lyra told Kris. "I am _not_ that annoying."

"You're right – you're worse."

"Oi!" Missile yelled. " _Were you even listening_?!"

"Of course," Lyra said sincerely as she took her eyes off her PokéDex. "I'm sorry they arrested you, but how was I supposed to know that? I was well on my way to Hoenn by then. Trust me, had I known, I would have spoken on your behalf."

"Why?" Kris wondered. "Did you know he tried to kill me?"

"Did not!" Missile protested. "I just wanted to beat you up and steal your stuff!"

"Oh," Lyra said. "Well, still, I don't know how he remembers it, but what he said was partially true. He joined with me, Silver and Kurt to fight Team Rocket at Ilex Forest."

"I remember," Kris grumbled. "But does that make up for-"

"SILENCE!" Missile yelled. "I call the shots now! Ever since I saw you in Hoenn three months ago, I have been planning for this moment! As a respect for our earlier friendship-"

"What?!" Lyra wondered.

"-I will not harm you... much. But I _am_ going to take all your Pokémon. That will make up for the injustices I suffered!"

"Yeah, great story," Kris sighed, opened a Poké Ball and sent out her new Froslass. "But I'd rather you not. Lyra, you just can sit on back and watch me handle this. Froslass, Ice Beam!"

Missile didn't budge or even change his expression when the freezing beam of energy hit him. The beam merely bounced off as if Missile's body had been made of some kind of jelly, and immediately after, he transformed back into a Ditto that spat out a speaker from which Missile's voice was still blaring.

" _What did I just say?_ " Missile said, Kris and Lyra looking around them frantically to spot where the voice was coming from. " _I have planned this for_ months. _Months! In fact, your underestimation hurt my feelings. Like, a lot._ _Smmmmmmoke bomb!"_

Four smoke bombs blew up at the same time all around the area, surrounding Kris and Lyra. Ditto and everything else disappeared from sight, forcing the two to get close to each other, Froslass hovering above them and looking concerned.

"Okay, that was an unexpected move," Kris said, pretending to have it under control. "Not to worry, I'll clear things out. Froslass, Icy Wind!"

But out of nowhere, Froslass was hit by a sudden Sludge Bomb attack that knocked her out instantly. Kris was forced to withdraw her, and before she could send another Pokémon out, a Beedrill suddenly swooped in out of the smoke and snatched it from her hand before disappearing into the smoke just as quickly as it had arrived.

"Croc!" Kris cried. "Hey! Frickin' bug! Give it back!"

Lyra stared at Kris. "...you want me to take a turn now?"

"Whatever," Kris sighed. "Just... get my Pokémon back!"

"You can just sit on back," Lyra countered, annoying Kris. "Scorch, go!"

Lyra let out her Typhlosion, who roared fiercely upon being released. Instantly after, Kris' Sandshrew let himself out of his Poké Ball at his own and rushed over to hug Scorch, whose fierce attitude dropped immediately as she started playing around with Shrew.

"There's no time for that!" Kris ranted. "One of our team has been kidnapped! Shrew, either be useful or stay out of the way!"

"Ah, let them have their fun," Lyra said and took out another Poké Ball. "Braviary, come out and use Whirlwind!"

Lyra's majestic bird Pokémon didn't waste time in doing just that. Flapping its wings rapidly, it cleared the smoke from the area, but neither Missile nor any of his Pokémon could be seen. A random passerby, a fisherman with a grizzly beard, was running their way.

"Hey, you two!" he yelled as he ran. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, we're all right!" Lyra was quick to answer. "But you better stay back! There's a Pokémon thief around!"

"My word!" the fisherman exclaimed. "Well, you better follow me, I know a safe place to put your Pokémon to-"

"Shrew, Slash his face!" Kris yelled suddenly.

Shrew stopped playing with Scorch and lunged at the fisherman without hesitation. Lyra gasped in horror, but realized what was going on as the fisherman's face fell off and morphed back into a Ditto. Missile dropped the fisherman outfit he was wearing and glared at Kris.

"How'd you know?" he asked.

"You can't rely on the same trick forever," Kris pointed out. "Now how's about you give Croc back before we do that to your _real_ face!"

"Oh, you mean this?" Missile gloated and held the stolen Poké Ball between two fingers, taunting Kris with it like he was holding a piece of candy in front of a kid. "You want it that bad?"

"Yes!"

"Really?"

" _Yes_!"

"Truly?"

"Y... what do you want?"

"Okay, so how about this?" Missile suggested. "I give it back to you if... you two hand over the rest of your Pokémon?"

"No," Kris said bluntly.

"Yeah, no," Lyra said. "Braviary, go get it back please, thanks."

Braviary screeched, spread its wings and flew towards Missile. However, before it could grab the Poké Ball (and Missile's hand if need be), Missile's Ditto transformed into another Braviary, a flawless copy of the original. Confused by the sudden appearance of its doppelgänger, Braviary hesitated and was struck by the Ditto's Slash attack. With the two locked in battle, Lyra turned to her Typhlosion instead.

"Uh, okay... Scorch! Get out there and fight!"

"You too, Shrew!"

Scorch and Shrew stepped up to fight side by side, but Missile's Beedrill soon appeared to thwart that plan, grabbing Shrew by his tail and picking him up, rendering him pretty much helpless. As Scorch was distracted and tried to use her flamethrower against the Beedrill, Missile's Victreebel emerged from the bushes and paralyzed her with a Stun Spore. Beedrill then dropped Shrew, knocking it out as it hit the ground belly first. Meanwhile, Lyra's Braviary was defeated by the copycat. As Kris and Lyra withdrew their Pokémon, Ditto turned back to normal and Missile smirked.

"As I was saying," Missile said triumphantly as Victreebel, Beedrill and Ditto assumed formation besides their trainer. "My dear Pokémon have been raised with tender loving care by the best trainer around!"

"So how'd you get them?" Kris asked.

Missile just smiled and nodded. "I see what you did there. But you're not going to sass yourself out of this situation. Feel free to throw more Pokémon at my way, though – it'll be fun to gauge their potential before I sell them to the highest bidder! Don't worry, they'll be well looked after."

Kris and Lyra turned to look at each other.

"You could still run, you know," Kris told Lyra quietly. "It's not like he has any of _your_ Pokémon hostage."

"I know I could," Lyra said, "but then who'd pull you out of the eventual mess you'll get yourself in?"

Kris scoffed. "Any ideas?" she asked.

"Well... you'll probably end up not using them..."

"Just tell me!"

"Okay," Lyra muttered as she observed Missile's Pokémon. "Whatever we use, Ditto is going to transform into it. So we should pick a Pokémon that is strong against itself while maintaining an advantage against his other Pokémon. I'd say you should use your Chandelure – unless you traded it away for candy or something."

"I have it!" Kris snapped. "And... that's actually a really good plan."

"I know it is," Lyra said proudly.

"Are we going to do this or what?!" Missile asked loudly, though he made no move to try to attack the duo. "I consider myself a man of honor... but Trend Tracker is on in less than an hour!"

Kris ignored him and continued muttering her plans at Lyra.

"But that puts me at a disadvantage as well," she said. "So you need to use a Pokémon that compliments Chandelure's weaknesses."

"True," Lyra said. "Nice catch. Okay, I'm ready. You go first."

"Gee, thanks... Chandelure, go!"

Kris sent out her trusty Ghost- and Fire-type. As Lyra had anticipated, Ditto immediately morphed into a Chandelure as well. Missile laughed.

"How brave of you to go alone against three of mine," he said, "but my philosophy is to end battles before they start. Victreebel, Sleep Powder!"

"Confuse Ray!" Kris ordered.

Chandelure was faster, firing a golden orb of light at the Victreebel, making the orb spin around Victreebel's head until the grass-type was too confused to do anything. Chandelure then finished Victreebel off with a Flamethrower. Angered, Missile ordered Beedrill to advance, but at the same time, Lyra let out her Mismagius and had it distract Beedrill with a Power Gem attack. It missed, but it forced Beedrill to fly out of the way.

"Shadow Ball!" Missile ordered.

"Protect!" Kris said.

Kris hoped Lyra would see what to do as she had Chandelure block Ditto's attack. And indeed, Lyra was able to give a nonverbal command at Mismagius, making it fly between the two Chandelure and respond with a Shadow Ball attack of its own. Exhausted by the earlier attacks, Ditto was knocked out with one blast and turned back into its normal form.

Missile was biting his lip and clearly struggling now. He desperately ordered his Beedrill to use Assurance on Mismagius, but Mismagius blocked the hit with a Protect of its own, allowing Chandelure to flank Beedrill and knock it out with Flamethrower.

Despite his earlier confidence, Missile had to withdraw his fainted Pokémon and was surrounded by Kris, Lyra and their two formidable ghost Pokémon. Grinning apologetically, he dropped Croc's Poké Ball and ran away screaming. Lyra cheered and rushed over to thank Mismagius while Kris gave a quick thanks to Chandelure and withdrew it before picking up Croc's ball.

Suddenly, someone emerged from behind a tree, startling Kris until she recognized the arrival: a tall girl with long brown hair, a few years older than her and Lyra, sarcastically clapping at the display.

"Good job," Hilda said sassily. "I mean, sure, you let that guy almost get away with your strongest Pokémon, but hey, at least you cleaned up your own mess."

"What are you doing here?!" Lyra wondered.

"And were you watching the fight?" Kris asked hesitantly – Hilda's presence in Sinnoh probably didn't mean anything good.

"Yeah," Hilda admitted nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you help us?!"

"If things had gotten ugly, I would have been there... probably. Not gonna lie, I thought you two would have lost immediately. Especially when trying to team up. I caught some tension back in Hoenn..."

Kris turned to look away. "Mind your own business," she grumbled.

Hilda laughed. Lyra returned Mismagius and walked over to Kris, also apparently wanting to get some distance between her and Hilda.

"My question still stands," she said to Hilda.

"Officially, I'm with Alder again," Hilda said. "He's going to be a judge in the Sinnoh League Tournament as well. Apparently his duties in Unova are secondary. I mean, the guy's been judging like ten contests while abroad during these past few years. No wonder Team Plasma almost took over the Pokémon League once."

"Who and huh?" Kris asked.

"Long story. _Unofficially_ I'm here because, guess what, nastiness is going on. I heard you were supposed to come to Solaceon Town, but when you weren't around-"

Kris and Lyra avoided looking at each other.

"-I decided to come and meet you. Big shock, this is about our friend, Latias the Homicidal Maniac."

"Yeah, we're on the case," Kris said. "And while we don't want to say no to help-"

"Yeah, you're not going do that," Hilda said, "because the grown-ups are taking control of things now."

"Excuse me?" Lyra asked. "I'm like _this_ close to being 18!"

Hilda just chortled. "I meant people who actually stand a chance against her, dumbass. I told Alder about this, and while he hasn't told a lot of people, he did talk about this with Cynthia, and she's out and about investigating the case as well."

Kris and Lyra looked stunned. "For real?!" they asked simultaneously.

"You can fangirl over that later, though," Hilda said, "because that doesn't mean you can just drop everything and sit around with your thumbs up your butts. You got gizmos that can track psychic energy, right? Why don't you, you know, use them for once."

Though annoyed at the sarcasm and at the fact that Hilda knew that, Kris checked the new app Elm had installed on her PokéDex, Lyra doing the same.

From the map, Kris saw their location: they were at the very southernmost tip of Route 210, very close to Solaceon Town. Two big blinking purple dots could be seen on the map as well, the other one to the south, moving westward, while another was to the north of their location, moving northeast.

"There's two?" Lyra asked out loud. "But... what does that mean?"

"It means two things," Hilda said and started strutting towards Kris and Lyra. "One: there's a psychic energy in Sinnoh at least as strong as Latias, and apparently they're both looking something from here."

Hilda put her arms on both Kris and Lyra's shoulders, pulling them both awkwardly close to her, almost knocking their heads together.

"And two," she said, "it means me and my girls are going to go on a little trip. We'll make a stop in Solaceon, then head to where that energy thing seems to be going: Hearthome City!"

"Did you bring someone with you?" Lyra asked cluelessly while Kris facepalmed.

**~o~O¨o~**

_**Location: Valley Windworks, Sinnoh** _

Dawn and Lucas stood at the entrance of the famed Power Plant, in a valley just an hour off Floaroma Town and right next to the massive Coronet mountain range. It was a beautiful sight, the power plant built next to a river, surrounded by sweet-scented honey trees and enormous windmills that kept on rotating. However, the front door was locked and it was completely deserted outside – Dawn was expecting people to be constantly coming and going, which made her suspicious right off the bat.

"Must be a day off," Lucas theorized.

"It's noon on a Friday," Dawn said. "It's not a public holiday – not that I have heard about anyway – and look!"

Dawn pointed at something further down in the canyon: a parking lot full of cars, but not one person walking into them or out of them. All the curtains of the windows had been mysteriously closed, too.

"Well, no matter what happened," Lucas observed, "it looks like we'll never kn... Dawn, what are you doing?!"

Dawn was about to sneak behind the Valley Windworks, ignoring the multiple signs forbidding it, but stopped when Lucas rushed over to her.

"I didn't come all this way for nothing," Dawn said. "There has to be a back door or a rear window for me to get through..."

"It could be dangerous!" Lucas panicked. "At least let me do it. I lied to you, after all, so it's the least I can do!"

Dawn sighed, but stepped aside and let Lucas slip through the gate and head to the back of the building.

"Knock yourself out," she said.

But only a moment after Lucas disappeared behind the building, Dawn could hear his high-pitched screaming. Letting her Piplup out of its Poké Ball, Dawn rushed over to him, believing something to have happened to him.

However, as Dawn reached him, Lucas was just fine, only cowering from a small, purple and floating Pokémon that resembled a balloon, its two string-like 'arms' looking like the strings one would hold a helium balloon from.

"Calm yourself, commoner," Dawn told Lucas harshly. "It's just a Drifloon."

"A guh..." Lucas stuttered as he shivered and pressed himself against the wall. "A guh-ghost..."

"Yes, Drifloon, the Balloon Pokémon, types Ghost and Flying," Dawn explained as she observed the Pokémon curiously, Drifloon itself just floating around Lucas and staring at him with its unblinking eyes creepily. "Preferring damp and humid places, these wandering spirits often try to tug on the hands of children to take them away."

"Oh geez!" Lucas cried and backed away from the Drifloon and closer to Dawn.

"But," Dawn continued her lecture, "because they are so light, they end up getting pulled around instead."

"That's..." Lucas stopped cowering and picked himself up. "That's pretty hilarious, actually."

"Indeed," Dawn said confidently and took out an empty Poké Ball. "I appreciate you lured it out. _This_ is the reason I came here, you see. They say a Drifloon appears to haunt this place every Friday – and thanks to your wanton stupidity, we have confirmation."

"Oh," Lucas said, the smiled cheerfully. "Well, I live to please!"

"Piplup, be a dear and use Bubble Beam," Dawn commanded.

Piplup fired a barrage of bubbles at the Drifloon before it could go anywhere, the popping of the bubbles dazing it momentarily.

"Good work!" Dawn praised. "Now, Yawn, please!"

Piplup took a deep breath and yawned mightily, releasing one large, pink bubble from its beak. As Drifloon was dazed, the bubble floated up to it and popped at its face, starting to make the ghost-type tired as well. Slowly, Drifloon started to fall, allowing Dawn to toss a Poké Ball at it. As soon as the Poké Ball hit Drifloon, it was sucked in, and the capture succeeded without any resistance.

"And that's how to do it!" Dawn said proudly.

Lucas' jaw almost dropped. "Dawn..." he said in awe. "You just don't cease to amaze me."

"I didn't do it for your compliments," Dawn said as she tossed the Poké Ball into the air, opened her bag and let it drop in it, "but I don't mind them either. So you may continue."

"So now what?" Lucas asked a bit nervously.

"We do what we were meant to, of course," Dawn said firmly. "We investigate what is going on here! No need to be afraid – you're with me!"

"Shouldn't I say that to you?" Lucas wondered meekly. "Though I guess not..."

Dawn didn't listen, but just sneaked behind the building with Piplup in tow, Lucas following suit reluctantly. With Piplup's help, Dawn was able to force one of the rear windows open, and without thinking twice, she crawled in, Piplup following loyally. Lucas didn't want to stay outside alone, so he followed despite being able to think of a hundred better things to do.

Lucas gasped at what he found inside, accidentally blowing his and Dawn's cover. The building had been taken over by more of those people with strange spacesuit-like outfits and horrible turquoise bowl cuts, all individuality having been crushed out of them. The workers had been tied up and placed on the floor, a few shaggy-looking scientists working on the computers instead. There was about half a dozen regular-looking enforcers, many with Bronzor and Houndour ready, keeping the workers in check, along with three scientists. And all of them turned to look at Lucas, Dawn and Dawn's Piplup as they entered.

Lucas was going to do what he did best: front.

"Hi!" he told everyone in a high-pitched voice and waved at them cheerfully. "Me and my friend were in the neighborhood and thought we'd ask if you had any guided tours of this great place... but I guess you're busy. We'll just slip out and-"

A dark blue bipedal Pokémon that was slightly shorter than Lucas and Dawn suddenly appeared behind them, slamming the window shut and quickly leaping out of the way as Piplup attempted to fire a Bubble Beam attack at it.

"Piplup!" Dawn scolded. "When you battle, you have to do it with dignity and grace! Wait for my instructions!"

"What is that thing?" Lucas asked uneasily and practically hid behind Dawn as the blue, frog-like Pokémon prepared to fight Piplup.

"Toxicroak," Dawn explained. "It's a poison- and fighting-type Pokémon. Those claws on its and knuckles and that big red sac under its skin? _Very_ poisonous. Might want to avoid that."

"Toxicroak," a voice called out. "Poison Jab."

Toxicroak lunged at Dawn's Piplup, and before Dawn could even react, slashed the little water-type with its claws. Although it only left a scratch on Piplup, the Penguin Pokémon started to look dizzy and barely kept its balance, its eyelids fluttering.

"Piplup!" Dawn cried and picked her Pokémon up before it collapsed. "Damn it! It's been poisoned."

"I thought you were supposed to avoid it?" Lucas asked. "Or... did you mean to demonstrate that to me so I wouldn't-"

"Shut up!" Dawn snapped as she searched her bag desperately. "Come on, tell me there's an Antidote somewhere in here..."

"You sent Barry to buy those," Lucas reminded. "I guess it's a bit hard for them to be here since he kind of... left."

Dawn was about to snap at Lucas, but was interrupted by sarcastic clapping from the Toxicroak's trainer. Those his uniform resembled the one the others were, the color scheme was different. His hair was also darker blue and styled differently, making it look like he had horns. Apparently he was the one in command.

"You tried your best," he told Dawn. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Commander Saturn-"

"Nice to meet you, Saturn!" Lucas said cheerfully.

" _Commander_ Saturn! And there's nothing nice about the situation you got yourselves into. For we... are Team Galactic."

Lucas turned to look at Dawn. "Have you heard of them?" he asked.

Dawn shook her head as she picked the poisoned Piplup up. "All I know is that they ruined my awesome trip to the Valley Windworks. Do they not know who I am?"

"Well, I am nothing but cordial," Saturn said and patted his Toxicroak affectionately. "Please tell me who you are!"

"Dawn Berlitz!" Dawn snapped before Lucas could open his mouth. "And my parents have the power to destroy you by snapping their fingers! Oh, and this is my bodygu... compa... assistant. No need to know his name."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Dawn," Saturn said politely. "Now, let me tell you something about Team Galactic. We are an organization dedicated to making this wretched world a better place. Sadly, we have to operate... well, 'under the radar', so to speak, because of the lack of support. We need many things: funds, members – registration is open, by the way – and most of all, energy. Which is what we're taking here, because the power plant refused to donate it to us. In the end, is that so wrong?"

"...yes?" Lucas said.

Saturn shook his head. "You're still children – you'll learn eventually. At the moment, we're... how far are we?!"

"78 percent!" a random scientist yelled from the computers.

"Ah, we've almost completed rerouting the energy produced by this plant to our headquarters," Saturn told Dawn and Lucas. "So, while I really don't want to work up too much of a sweat, I'm going to have to do my duty to prevent you kids from messing things up. Who wants to go first?"

Lucas glanced at Piplup. It looked like it was suffering badly, its eyes closed and a pained expression on its face as it rested in Dawn's lap.

 _It looks like this is my chance_ , Lucas thought. _A perfect opportunity to make up for my wretched lies! A chance to win Dawn's trust!_

"I'm-"

But Dawn interrupted Lucas' planned heroic speech immediately.

"Oh, enough of that machismo junk!" Dawn snapped. "What are _you_ going to do against him? You're just a commoner!"

"Maybe," Lucas smiled. "But someone has to try."

Dawn sighed. "Well, then, I'd recommend you to use Starly."

"Sorry," Lucas said as he grabbed one of his two Poké Balls, "but this is also the perfect chance to train!"

Lucas tossed his Poké Ball in the air coolly, crossing his arms confidently as his Turtwig materialized. But Dawn sighed even deeper and buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

"What?" Lucas asked her.

"You idiot!" Dawn chastised. "Toxicroak has a type advantage! Poison beats grass, you know!"

"Oh, it does?" Lucas wondered, making Dawn wonder if he had ever opened a book in his life. "Well, we don't care, right Turtwig? We've been training hard for this, and I think Turtwig is finally ready. Turtwig, use Razor Leaf!"

"Power-Up Punch!" Saturn ordered.

Toxicroak's fist became surrounded with a bright orange aura as it charged at Turtwig, who... did absolutely nothing and just turned to look at its trainer in confusion. Toxicroak hit Turtwig so hard the grass-type was launched into the air and hurtled against a wall. Meanwhile, Toxicroak returned to Saturn, glowing with a slight orange aura and getting even more eager to battle.

Surprisingly, Turtwig was still conscious, though there were plenty of bruises all around its body.

"You can do it, Turtwig!" Lucas encouraged. "Don't give up!"

"That's not an attack I've ever hear of," Dawn said venomously. "You need a proper strategy if you ever hope to win!"

"Um... like what?" Lucas asked, to which Dawn groaned at. "Sorry! I'm still new at this!"

"Well, it looks like your career will be cut short!" Saturn taunted. "Toxicroak, Poison Jab!"

"Lucas, tell it to use Withdraw!" Dawn yelled.

"Uh, Withdraw!" Lucas relayed the order to Turtwig.

Surprisingly, this was an attack Turtwig knew. Turtwig pulled its head and limbs inside its shell and hardened it, causing Toxicroak's attack to deflect harmlessly off, avoiding poisoning. Next, Dawn yelled at Lucas to use Tackle, which Lucas also relayed. Turtwig quickly came out of its shell and slammed its body against Toxicroak at full strength. Toxicroak was hurt, but not badly, allowing it to counter with a quick Bullet Punch, which once again knocked Turtwig back and allowed Toxicroak to retreat.

"We have to use a ground-type move!" Dawn yelled.

"But it couldn't even learn Razor Leaf," Lucas said. "What should I do..."

"Begin with Leech Seed!"

"Uh... okay, Turtwig, Leech Seed!"

Turtwig lowered its head, and fired a large seed from the sprout of its head. It collided with Toxciroak even as the latter tried to dodge, and upon impact, exploded into vines that wrapped themselves around Toxicroak, rendering it immobile and sucking energy from it. Slowly, Turtwig started to look more vibrant while Toxicroak was both immobile and weakened. The grunts behind Saturn started to mutter worriedly.

"I've got this!" Saturn snapped at them. "You nameless goons wouldn't be any use to me anyway!"

Composing himself, Saturn adjusted his hair and cleared his throat.

"Very good," he said, "but immobilizing us won't stop us from fighting. Toxicroak, Mud Bomb!"

Toxicroak opened its mouth and fired a powerful glob of mud towards Turtwig at blazing speed, damaging Turtwig. As Toxicroak was about to do it again, though, Lucas caught it and told Turtwig to use Withdraw. But even in its shell, Turtwig was sligthly damaged by the attack.

"We have to finish this!" Dawn said as Lucas looked at her desperately for advice. "Tell Turtwig to use Earth Power!"

"What's that?" Lucas wondered.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Turtwig!" she yelled at Lucas' Pokémon. "I know you can use this attack! Just concentrate on the terrain and the flow of the energy in the ground, then stomp as hard as you can and unleash the power within the soil!"

Lucas had no idea what Dawn was talking about, but nodded at Turtwig encouragingly nonetheless. Turtwig closed its eyes, withdrawing into its shell from Lucas' command as another Mud Bomb came its way. As Turtwig re-emerged, it was outlined by yellow energy. Lucas flinched at this, but Dawn looked satisfied.

"Now, do it!" she yelled.

"Uh, yeah... Turtwig, Earth Power!" Lucas commanded.

Turtwig stomped on the ground with both of its front legs, causing the ground to shake and practically explode from under Toxicroak, sending the poison-type, still ensnared by the vines, to fly into the air. By the time it landed again, it had already fainted, forcing an outraged Saturn to withdraw it.

"This isn't..." he muttered. "This is... no! See, I didn't lose! It was practically two against one! You! You said your name was Berlitz, right!"

"Yeah," Dawn said, "and you should just give up while you-"

"No!" Saturn ranted. "I have a found a way to amass funds for our organization! I'm going to kidnap you and have your parents pay us a trillion in ransom! Would you like that?!"

"...no," Dawn said bluntly. "What, should I just let you?"

"Fine!" he shouted, his well-styled hair gone all messy and his face covered in sweat. "I wanted to be cool about this, but you just had to push me. Yeah, you won, I don't care. The boss and Charon will not make fun of me again! In case you didn't notice, there's a dozen of us and two of you! Hey, worthless peons!" he yelled at his underlings. "Destroy these kids!"

But before the grunts could obey, the barricaded front door of the plant suddenly exploded as a huge, dark blue dragon-type Pokémon with a head like a hammerhead shark's arrived, roaring at the Team Galactic Grunts, who almost soiled themselves in fear. Lucas was confused while Dawn suddenly gasped, her eyes going wide when she saw the dragon-type's trainer arriving.

The trainer was a very tall woman dressed in stylish black clothes. She had long, blonde hair and hair decorations that looked like an Umbreon's ears. As she stood coolly besides her Garchomp, one hand on her hip, the Team Galactic grunts all started fleeing in unison, screaming in fear, the scientists doing the same.

"She's here! I told you she'd be here!"

"Get the hell out of there!"

"I'm going back to my mom!"

"IT'S CYNTHIA! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Saturn, insulting his underlings and calling them cowards in every possible way he knew, eventually realized he was all alone and up against the newly arrived woman, who just smiled serenely.

"You..." Saturn said to her, shivering. "Tough as you may be, you're _nothing_ compared to our boss! I... I won't forget this, miss Champion!"

Saturn rushed out of the plant through a window – just the only one a grunt hadn't already broken through. They could still hear him yell over the shards of glass stuck in him as he ran. The woman ignored him and went to freeing the captive workers of the plant, all of them praising her and almost crying out of joy.

"Champion?" Lucas asked Dawn.

Dawn looked offended. "Idiot," she hissed. "Don't you know her? She's the great Cynthia! Champion of the Sinnoh League!"

Lucas flinched at this news and stood at attention as Cynthia and her Garchomp approached them after freeing the hostages and making sure they were okay. But Cynthia's calm demeanor mellowed him out slightly.

"Are you two all right?" Cynthia asked, not at all surprised by Dawn's adoration and Lucas' cowering. "It's a good thing I happened to be in the area. These people, Team Galactic... they have caused some trouble before, but nothing as bold as this."

Lucas didn't seem to have the courage to say anything while Dawn was too captivated, practically forgetting Piplup's condition. Cynthia was quick to notice, though, and gave Piplup a Pecha Berry while Dawn just stared on.

"That should make it better," Cynthia said, "but we still need you to get you to a Pokémon Center."

"Ms. Cynthia," Dawn said quietly. "T-thank you! Thanks for saving us!"

"Well, I wanted to visit the noodle cart that usually stops here, but I guess they're elsewhere on Fridays," Cynthia observed calmly.

"...what?"

"And I have something I'd like to say you two," Cynthia said, less calmly this time, making Lucas shudder. "What are your names?"

"Dawn! Dawn Berlitz! Oh, and this is my servant."

Lucas stared at the ground upon introducing himself. "I'm L-Lucas. N-nice to meet you..."

"Likewise," Cynthia said curtly. "I would suggest against sneaking into places like these and trying to fight Team Galactic yourself. I appreciate the thought... but do something like this again and you could get badly hurt. There's bravery, and then there's stupidity."

Lucas hung his head in shame. "We're sor-"

"No need to apologize to me," Cynthia said quickly, sounding slightly less strict. "But please think about yourselves – and those important to you as well. With luck, those Galactic Grunts I just scared off will think twice about staying in the organization."

"Miss Cynthia," Dawn said. "I-"

"Cynthia is fine, Dawn."

"Yes," Dawn said – Lucas didn't think he'd ever see Dawn get flustered. "I agree it's not good to be reckless... but I'm not sorry for what I did!"

"Dawn?!" Lucas gasped.

"I wanted to fight them!" Dawn said and dared to make eye contact with Cynthia. "I wanted to be like you! I read your book! I wanted to become a powerful trainer like you and have all sorts of experiences... and if run into them again, I _will_ fight them!"

Cynthia smiled warmly. "I'm flattered," she said, "but that book isn't exactly an _auto_ biography. I tried to stop them from adding too many crazy details and I really wasn't too happy that they insisted on putting me as the author when I just gave them some notes and interviews..."

"So," Dawn said with a frown, "you _didn't_ wrestle down that Beartic during your trip at the Unova arctic, with only a half-eaten apple as supplies...?"

Cynthia sighed. "I can't stop you from doing anything," she said, "but I would suggest against it."

"Cynthia!" Dawn yelled suddenly. "Can you please at least give me some tips! I really want to become even half as strong as you are! I want to see the world! I want to do something as great as you have done!"

Cynthia just stared at Dawn contemplatively, occasionally glancing at Lucas.

"You two are traveling Pokémon trainers?" she asked.

"Yes," Lucas said hurriedly. "Uh, kind of..."

"Then I believe there is something you can do to help me," Cynthia said, making Dawn clasp her hands and stand on her toes in anticipation. "In return, I can give you some hints when we meet again."

"Meet again?!" Dawn gasped. "We will?"

Cynthia gave the small, black bag she was carrying to Dawn, who held it delicately, like one would hold a baby.

"I have a lot of errands to run," Cynthia said. "And a lot of traveling to do. Can I trust you to look after this bag?"

"I'll guard it with my life!" Dawn promised.

"It's not that important," Cynthia laughed and turned to leave. "If you can look after yourselves, I'll take off. Though I'll give you one tip right now, for free..."

Cynthia turned to look at Dawn and Lucas with strict seriousness.

"I'm happy that I inspired you," she said, "but you should never admire someone too much. If you do, you can't truly be free to be yourself. You'll lose sight of what is important to you when you try to be someone else."

With that advice out of the way, Cynthia and Garchomp left. Dawn and Lucas rushed outside to see Cynthia hop on her Garchomp's back and blast herself into the skies.

"Wow," Dawn said. "She's amazing, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Lucas said. "I want to be just like her."

With that, an awkward silence followed as Dawn and Lucas started heading back to Floaroma Town's Pokémon Center to heal Piplup and the other Pokémon – Turtwig had badly exhausted itself in the battle, too.

"So," Lucas said finally, mostly to break the silence. "Um, what's your next move going to be?"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Dawn said confidently. "Back at the flower shop, I saw this poster that really inspired me! They're holding Super Contests in Hearthome City! You heard of them?"

Remembering Johanna's parting words, Lucas rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"Yeah, I know, um, something," Lucas said. "Why?"

"I want to participate, of course!" Dawn said and flicked Lucas on the forehead again. "And you'll want to see me do my best on stage as well, right?"

"What? I don't... I mean, of course, but-"

"Then it's settled!" Dawn said. "We're going to Hearthome City! And on the way, I can tell you a thing or two about raising your Pokémon, because that performance there... yeah, well, it kinda spoke for itself."

Lucas let the insult slide. The fact that Dawn had used 'we' made him feel good again. Even if a little voice on the back of his head wondered how Barry was doing...

...and another one that seemed to just awaken wondered what happened to Dawn's _actual_ bodyguards.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Somewhere on Mt. Coronet, Sinnoh** _

Resting on their backs somewhere in the wilderness, professional bodyguards Paka and Ūji gazed at the sky through their cool sunglasses, wearing a white and green scarf, respectively.

"Clouds," Paka mused. "They sure are soft, aren't they?"

"Just imagine what it would be like to be a cloud," Ūji said. "Perfectly free, no cares in the world..."

"And constantly at the mercy of external forces with no agency," Paka reminded.

"...that's deep," Ūji muttered.

Then, there was a short break.

"Should we, I dunno, maybe find out what happened to miss Berlitz?" Ūji asked.

"Maybe," Paka said. "Or maybe we can just stay here. This bodyguard business is really stressful, you know."

"...I have nothing against that."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Solaceon Town Pokémon Center, Sinnoh** _

Kris had managed to dodge Lyra and Hilda's company by telling she had a phone call to make. The whole trip there, Kris had went back to arguing with Lyra while having to endure Hilda's less-than-subtle mockery. Fortunately, she got other things to think about once she called professor Elm – except for the few choice words she had to offer for him.

"..and if you ever make me work with her again," Kris finished her rant, "I can't be held responsible for my actions!"

" _Um, yes, s-sorry about that_ ," Elm stuttered, Kris even able to see his sweatdrops from the videophone monitor. " _I honestly thought I was making the right move,_ _but, um, perhaps I should have listened to you-_ "

"There's no perhaps about it," Kris sighed.

" _Still, it sounds like her presence helped you a lot._ _I hope this Missile character has finally decided to give up._ "

"I could have taken him on alone," Kris grumbled. "Besides, the magnificent Hilda was there anyway... having apparently tracked us down somehow."

" _Yes, I don't know much about her, I'm afraid. But, well, she works with the Pokémon League, so_ _there's no reason she wouldn't be trustworthy. So, I'd say it's safe to work with her from now on._ "

"Out of the volcano and into Hades, great."

" _Well, um, I'm definitely glad that you called_ ," Elm changed the subject quickly. " _And that both of you got to Sinnoh safely. Remember, that while looking into Latias is important, now that the Pokémon League is taking our concerns seriously, you can also dedicate some time for training if you want to compete in the Sinnoh League_. _Oh, and one more thing_."

"What?" Kris asked suspiciously.

" _Kris, would you be interested in getting another teammate? I know you have six Pokémon by now, but if you want, you can send one to my lab. They'll be well taken care of, and_ _they will be sent back to you whenever you want_."

"That's... yeah, of course I want a new one!" Kris said eagerly. "What is it?"

" _Remember the egg I showed you six months ago? It actually_ _finally hatched during your training with Alder,_ _but it took us a while to get adjusted to it. It's, um, a very atypical baby Pokémon._ "

"Ooh, I want to see it!" Kris said. "All right, I'll send Hochkrow to you!"

Kris put Honchkrow's Poké Ball on a device next to the videophone. In a flash, the ball disappeared and was replaced by one with a black and yellow top half – an Ultra Ball, which got Kris more excited. Before she could thank the professor, Elm said something about being busy and quickly hung up. Meanwhile, Lyra and Hilda walked up to Kris, bickering about something.

"...be an idiot about it!" Hilda told Lyra harshly. "That crazy guy is not the only one you should be worried about!"

"Professors Oak and Elm gave me a mission, and I'm not taking it lightly!" Lyra said. "I can't fill the PokéDex if I keep traveling with you two! And besides, Kris doesn't even... oh, hi Kris!"

"You done?" Hilda asked Kris.

"Yes," Kris said, "and as weird as this is to say, I'm glad you're here – this time! Check out my cool new Pokémon!"

Kris opened the Ultra Ball, expecting to see something huge and cool with fangs, horns, wings, but also sparkles, pop out.

Instead, it was a round, teal-colored bear-like Pokémon with pointy ears and teeth. As soon as it came out of its ball, it completely ignored Kris, Lyra and Hilda and pulled food out of its long fur and started munching on it.

Hilda laughed derisively.

"You got saddled with a real winner there," she said. "That's a Munchlax!"

Lyra scanned it immediately.

"Munclax, the first form of Snorlax," she said.

"Awesome!" Kris said, ignoring Hilda's snickering.

"It wolfs down its weight in food in a day, often stashing it in its fur. It can eat large chunks of food without swallowing."

"I see that," Kris said as she watched the Munchlax go at it. "Wait, its weight? Well... I think I can afford that..."

"Weight: 231.5 pounds, or 105 kilograms," Lyra continued to read.

"Crap!"

"And good job trying to make it useful in battle," Hilda mocked. "It's slow, frail and easily distracted by fo – well, there you go!"

Having eaten the food stored in its fur in a few seconds, Munchlax had caught the scent of the food in Kris' bag.

"No!" Kris protested and kept the bag above her head. "It's mostly chocolate anyway! You might die from that – I don't really know the specifics of Pokémon biology..."

This only made Munchlax more excited, so Kris was forced to recall it.

"Is this payback from all the times I made fun of Elm?" Kris wondered to herself.

"Fun as it would be to see you struggle with that Munclax," Lyra said, "I'm going!"

"Where?" Kris wondered.

"She wants to go to west Sinnoh," Hilda sighed. "Bad idea. There's Missile, and I heard there's some criminal gang causing trouble here-"

"What are the odds?" Kris remarked.

But Kris wasn't particularly interested in trying to stop Lyra, anyway. As soon as Kris got her Pokémon healed, Lyra was gone. Unfortunately, Kris would be stuck with Hilda at least until Hearthome City. Though unlike Lyra, Hilda would probably be able to teach Kris something. Problem is, how would you ask that from someone like her? So, Kris waited until they were just about to depart Solaceon Town and head to Hearthome, hoping to find a place to feed Munchlax in along the way.

"Hey, Hilda," Kris said meekly as they entered Route 209.

"Hm?"

"I'm not trying to suck up to you or anything-"

"Phrasing!"

"-but I saw you battle Team Aqua a couple of times," Kris finished, "and, I gotta admit, you were really good!"

"I know," Hilda said casually. "What do you want?"

Kris sighed. "Okay, let's cut this crap. Lyra got farther than me in Johto and in Hoenn. It won't be long until the Sinnoh League, and this time, I've finally decided to do better than her! Problem is..."

"You know she's better than you?" Hilda suggested.

Kris cringed. "I wasn't going to say it that bluntly, but-"

"Yeah, but she is. And you want me to train you?"

Kris nodded uncertainly.

"Train _you_?" Hilda repeated. "Even though I'm on a very important mission from the Pokémon League, working under the Unova champion. You expect me to spend my time teaching you how to become a better trainer?"

"Sorry," Kris groaned. "It was stupid to ask-"

"No, I'll do it," Hilda grinned and slapped Kris on the shoulder. Kris really didn't like some of these Unovan habits. "I've kinda taken a liking to you, anyway. Plus, even if you and her are both really annoying, I'd rather see you at the top than her."

Kris managed a smile. "Thanks," she said. "Um, but... at the top of what?"

"You'll see."


	13. Hearthome Gathering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All of the trainers cross Hearthome City in their travels around Sinnoh, unaware that Team Galactic is watching their every step.

**Chapter Thirteen: _Hearthome Gathering_**

"Croc, Hydro Pump!"

"Emboar, Gyro Ball!"

Hilda's Emboar started spinning at an incredible rate, much faster than you'd expect for a Pokémon of that size. This spinning blocked the Hydro Pump attack and allowed Emboar to strike Kris' Feraligatr in the stomach. With Emboar too close for Croc to attack, Hilda ordered a Hammer Arm attack, which took Croc out in an instant. Kris quickly withdrew the fainted Feraligatr.

"Good effort out there," she told him and glanced at Hilda. "Um, well, that was definitely what I expected of you. I kinda assumed I'd win that one. You know, fifth time's the charm."

"That's another thing you still haven't learned, Kris," Hilda said as she gave Emboar an encouraging punch in the arm, somehow avoiding the flames around it. "Under the right circumstances, types mean absolutely nothing. You should always assume your enemy has a strategy to deal with their disadvantages."

Kris _had_ learned it - it's just that having the type advantage had probably made her a bit too confident. She decided not to argue against Hilda, though.

"So I'll have to assume that a fire-type Pokémon will always know how to deal with water-types," Kris said to herself to remember it. "So then the water-type must deal with its weaknesses, too, but then it'll have to assume that the fire-type has dealt with _those_ and then oh no I've gone cross-eyed."

Hilda walked over to Kris and slapped her on the back of the head.

"Better?" she asked.

Kris winced. "You know, I was just kidding..."

"Aww, come on, a little tap like that shouldn't hurt the hero who saved Hoenn," Hilda teased and jabbed Kris with her elbow.

Kris just put on a smile and secretly wondered if she could get away with telling Hilda to stop already. Problem was, she liked her teeth where they were. She had seen Hilda wrestle down people with twice her muscle mass – and Hilda was fairly muscular herself, too.

Kris and Hilda continued to search for Hearthome City, having traveled along Route 209 for two days, twice as long as Kris had prepared for. Though Hilda had given her some useful lessons during that time, Kris also wasn't happy with having to constantly mind what she was saying and doing – she even avoided breathing too loudly in case Hilda could be annoyed by it. Hilda herself had laughed and teased Kris all that time, not being all that threatening or violent except for constantly punching her a little in a 'friendly' way.

Though she'd never admit this to Lyra, Kris _did_ suck at reading maps. So far, Kris and Hilda had lost sight of the actual route trying to use a shortcut and were now trekking through another forest. It seemed like no matter which region one went to, it was fill with forests that all looked the same. The exception was that nights in Sinnoh got _very_ cold indeed.

But finally, after another hour of walking which Hilda spent lecturing and criticizing Kris' techniques, the two left the forest and made it to the top of the hill from where a view of Hearthome city opened. Despite being the second largest city in Sinnoh, Hearthome had none of the rush, pollution and overly tall buildings that the capital, Jubilife had. There were residential buildings and stores as far as one could see, along with plenty of parks, including a massive one to the north.

"About time!" Hilda said while Kris gazed at the city. "Go down this hill and you'll be right at the edges of town!"

Kris turned to look at Hilda. "Huh? You're not coming?"

Her voice was a mix of disappointment and relief, mostly the latter. Like, at least 80% relief.

"Yeah, no, I got a message from Alder last night," Hilda said, almost bragging about the fact that Alder knew her personally. "With two energy sources in Sinnoh, he wants to make a plan and coordinate with some people from the International Police. I just wanted to make sure you got here – you probably would have fallen off some cliff without me."

"Oh that is _so_ not – um, I mean, yeah, thanks for helping me..."

Hilda laughed and slapped Kris on the back again. "Anytime, kid. I won't be far if you need me to protect you from that nasty Missile guy again."

"Shut up!" Kris snapped before catching herself. "Um, _please_. I don't need protection, you know. I've done things!"

"You are so easy to mess with," Hilda laughed, but almost instantly went serious again. "And, uh, Alder also asked me to warn people about this..."

"About what?"

"According to Cynthia, there's – and try to contain your shock for this one - some gang of poorly dressed criminals running rampant here," Hilda explained. "I don't know what their gimmick is, but they call themselves Team Galactic-"

Kris scoffed. "Nice one," she deadpanned. "What's next, Team Thunder? Team Torch? Team Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?"

"Yeah, well, from what I hear, they wear these futuristic spacesuit gear and they have blue bowl cuts – yeah, I'm serious. Anyway, if you see those people, try not to lose control of your bladder and just run away or something."

Kris frowned. "I wish you'd believe in me a little more..."

"Tsk," Hilda said. "From that answer alone, I can gather that you're not yet ready for them. Just focus on tracking those energy things – and maybe on those virtue things as well - and call me if you need to."

Hilda tossed Kris her card, and as Kris crouched to pick it up, Hilda was gone. Kris shrugged and started walking down the hill in search of Hearthome's Pokémon Center.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Marley's Apartment, Hearthome City, Sinnoh** _

Leaf and Silver had just listened to Marley's story in full. The bizarrely calm, dark-haired Pokémon trainer had been wary of the two at first – and even more so _after_ Leaf and Silver confirmed their identities. After a while, though, Leaf earned her trust and had Marley tell in detail about everything that had happened to her and the others after Leaf and Silver had escaped the Masked Man's captivity. She described everything in excruciating detail, from the Masked Man's rage upon two of his 'children' escaping to the reprisal the others had suffered in the hands of the Masked Man's subordinates, the children who served him most loyally in exchange for more freedoms and authority to push the others around.

"In the end," Marley narrated monotonously, staring into the cup of tea she was holding, "one boy had been hurt really badly by one, two and seven. Number ten, I think he was. When it became clear that no one would come to help us, that pushed us to rebel against him. Only most of us got away, though... I'm not quite sure what happened to the those who didn't..."

Silver was pacing back and forth in the room nervously while Leaf sat next to Marley, trying to think of words of encouragement. While Leaf was practically a social Butterfree compared to Silver... that really wasn't saying much. Leaf preferred the company of Pokémon, as you never had to worry about saying anything stupid around them.

"You're a trainer now, aren't you?" Leaf asked in the happiest tone she could manage. "And you're living on you own, too! What do you do, anyway?"

"...I work part-time at the Battle Frontier..." Marley said, the tone of her voice not changing at all. "...I suppose it's good I put those skills I learned from him to some use..."

Silver couldn't take anymore and stomped away from Marley's living room – Marley's expression didn't change even slightly. Leaf excused herself to Marley and followed Silver to the kitchen while Marley finished her tea. To Leaf's surprise, Silver faceplanted against the fridge, a repulsed look on his face as he shivered slightly.

"Pull yourself together," Leaf told him. "You should have known this wasn't gonna be easy."

"Hearing about all what happened to her..." Silver muttered. "Why did we leave them? Who knows what the Masked Man did to them just to punish them for something _we_ did. They didn't deserve it!"

"None of us deserved to be kidnapped by him," Leaf said coldly. "And if we hadn't left, nothing would have changed except for us having to suffer through the same as they did. You think a man like Pryce wouldn't have an excuse to hurt them?"

"The way she described it so casually," Silver said with a shudder., "it... it just..."

"Yeah," Leaf sighed. "But what is making out with her refrigerator gonna accomplish? She needs our support."

Silver reluctantly followed Leaf back to the living room and allowed Marley to finish her story. It turned out she hadn't been in contact with anyone from that place since leaving, having been the only one originally from Sinnoh. Leaf and Silver had avoided talking about the circumstances that led to her being kidnapped in the first place, only learning that Marley managed to secure a part-time job after returning, caught some Pokémon, trained them on her spare time and was scouted into the Battle Frontier. Marley kept apologizing for how boring her story was while Leaf and Silver felt incredibly relieved that nothing bad had happened to her since.

Still, Silver wasn't as satisfied as Leaf was when it was about to leave. Marley's emotionless demeanor and the fact that she didn't mention anything about friends or family. Marley, her Arcanine and her Swellow gathered together at the front door as Leaf and Silver left.

"...I appreciate you coming here... just a little," Marley said as goodbye. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything all that interesting."

"N-no!" Leaf protested. "We really wanted to hear all that!"

"...I'm glad. Bye-bye, then."

"Take..." Silver stopped his sentence awkwardly, not sure how to phrase things. "...take care of yourself, Marley."

"...wait for a bit, please..."

"Hm?"

Marley walked up to Silver, scaring him a bit as she stared at him for several seconds quietly.

"You're nervous," she observed. "You shouldn't feel hurt... when you two escaped, the rest of us were happier than we remembered being in a long time. Thanks to you, we felt getting out was actually possible. So please don't worry."

"Um... t-thanks."

Marley just nodded and returned to her apartment. Leaf and Silver headed for the elevator, walking for a while in complete silence. Silver contemplated on Marley's words while Leaf looked on, finally deciding to break the silence when the two reached the elevator.

"You're still not convinced, are you?" she asked.

"She just seems so lonely," Silver sighed. "It's like she goes to the Battle Frontier, does her thing and comes back to spend all her free time in her apartment alone. I mean, does she even have friends?"

"You didn't see her Pokémon?"

"...um, right, yeah, those."

"Besides," Leaf said, "you can be alone without being lonely. When it's all quiet in a world that never seems to shut up... it can be pretty relaxing."

"Okay, but," Silver argued, "what about the way she was acting? I swear, if it's because of the Masked Man that she's like that-"

"Or what if she just is like that?" Leaf said – Silver honestly hadn't counted on that, making Leaf laugh. "Listen to yourself. Believe me, I know stuff like that can leave some deep scars. I _also_ know that scars can heal. She's made it pretty far, if you ask me. Maybe instead of pitying her, you could be happy about the fact that she's gotten her life in order without anyone's help. She's certainly done better than us"

Silver couldn't help but to smile to himself quietly when thinking of Leaf's words while taking the elevator down. To him, it felt like Leaf never ran out of smart things to say. And it didn't feel like she was just saying it to make him feel better (or make him stop whining) either. Silver didn't even mind that Leaf callously included him in her sentence – after all, it hadn't been too long since Silver was still robbing and assaulting people while generally acting like a complete douche.

But as Leaf and Silver walked away from the apartment complex, Silver felt like pointing something out.

"You didn't tell her anything about _why_ the Masked Man was going around kidnapping us," he said.

Leaf looked firmly ahead as she walked briskly forward, Silver struggling to keep up with her pace.

"I didn't want to drop it on her just yet, not until I know it for sure," she said.

"The spores of Darkrai," Silver contemplated. "Are they even real? And what was Pryce going to do with them? And how did he _know_ who had them and who didn't? If he wasn't just winging it, I mean."

"Winging it certainly got me this far," Leaf said quietly. "Anyway, that's number six off our list. Nothing about four or five and eleven refused to see us, though from I gathered, he seems to be doing fine. That's all for people in Sinnoh, then, I guess. Now we can focus on your little quest."

"Are you sure it's okay?" Silver asked warily. "I mean, if you want to seek more info on Suicune-"

"That can wait," Leaf said. "We're close to the Trophy Garden anyway, aren't we? You can talk to that Mr. Backlot guy."

"Uh... right."

"Or do you need me to do that for you, too?"

"I think I'll need to learn how to talk to people at some point in my life."

Suddenly, Silver stopped and turned around. The streets of Hearthome were crowded at this time of the day, but he was sure he had seen a girl with black, pigtailed hair go by. The girl definitely reminded Silver of something, but as he tried to find her again, the girl had already disappeared into the crowds.

"What's up?" Leaf asked.

Silver shook his head. "Let's just keep going."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Hearthome City Pokémon Center, Sinnoh** _

Kris dropped all her Pokémon besides Munchlax to the nurse while heading straight to the cafeteria. It was Munchlax's chow time – it had been a whopping thirty minutes since the last one, after all. As Munchlax was going through its bucket of Pokémon food, Kris contemplated on the familiar-looking boy he had seen while rushing to the Pokémon center. He only knew one other person with hair as blazing red as his, and he was apparently in Sinnoh now... then again, if it really had been him, he would have probably said something. Like, 'out of my way, stupid weakling' or something equally heartwarming.

Instead of thinking about that, Kris went to investigating the energy sources and their movements. From her PokéDex, Kris could see that here were still two large sources of psychic energy moving around Sinnoh, but there was no pattern or logic in their movements, and since no suspicious deaths, injuries or explosions had been reported as of late, they hadn't attacked anyone, either.

Kris' thoughts were interrupted by something heavy approaching her, along with panicked voices:

" _No! Swampert, bad! Get back here_!"

Kris recognized the voice of the boy yelling that, but couldn't say anything as a Swampert glomped her and started licking her face excitedly.

"All right, hi, nice to see you too!" Kris giggled and tried to push the excited Swampert away. "Seriously, that's kind of gross more than that is cute!"

A brown-haired girl dressed like she was going to the beach arrived to the scene, not even paying attention to Kris as she scolded Swampert. The water-type immediately cowered in front of the girl.

"Sit!" the girl commanded, and the Swampert obeyed. "Now, lie down! Aww, that's a good boy! Sorry about that, I'm traveling with a complete pushover who can't handle his Pok- _Kris_?!"

"May?!" Kris could only say. "Um... why are you-?"

May looked at her clothes and just shrugged. "Eh, it's Sinnoh after all – I wanted to see the beach at Lake Valor," she explained. "Too bad it was closed for some reason, so I came here to help – well, look who sucks!"

As Kris had expected from Swampert's presence, Brendan was there too, shambling after May – but Kris' jaw dropped when she saw what _he_ was wearing.

"Sorry," he panted as he arrived. "I have no idea what's gotten into him!"

"You just can't discipline your Pokémon well enough, that's the problem!" May lectured, but Brendan didn't even listen as he spotted Kris' presence. "Hey, are you even-"

"KRIS!" Brendan squealed. "Oh my gosh, you're in Sinnoh too?! This is amazing! You came all this way to see me perform?! This is so moving! How have you been? No, more importantly, check out my new Contest outfit!"

"I _am_ checking it out," Kris said, still stunned by what she was seeing.

Brendan, striking a pose he apparently thought was badass, was wearing a red jacket and black pants, with diamond-shaped studs attached all over his jacket and his stylish red boots. The other shoulder of his jacket had a thick tuft of gray fur on it while a chain with a Poké Ball attached to it was hanging from his belt. And, in true Brendan style, it was all _very_ sparkly.

"Damn," Kris commented. "I mean, I don't know, you may have tried a _little_ too hard, but still, I gotta say... damn."

"Yeah, he looks pretty good, I have to say," May said and embarrassed Brendan by putting her arm on his shoulders. "I especially like those two strands of hair you dyed. And good thing I was there to pick that outfit for you. You'll never see me put on something like they had in that store, though... you remember that pink thing?"

"But you'd look like a cute magical girl with that on!"

Kris smiled at their interaction, but quickly tried to hide it when May turned to glare at her and tried to change the subject.

"Uh, why are you here?" she asked.

"Do you even need to ask?!" Brendan said loudly before May could get a word in. "This is Hearthome, the holy land of us Pokémon Coordinators! It's the home of the Super Contest Hall, the place where I'll _truly_ get to show my skills before Sinnoh's Grand Festival. I thought you knew of my arrival, seeing as you got here in time to meet me and everything-"

"Oh, stop lying to yourself already!" May snapped. "She's not here 'cause of that!"

"Yeah, that's right," Kris said. "I'm here to-"

"To finally see which one of us is the better trainer!" May said dramatically, prompting Kris to sigh wearily. "Once the Sinnoh League starts, I'll make sure to try you out in battle, and then it'll be _you_ who leaves the ring – or battlefield, or whatever – ragin' and cursin' inappropriately!"

"You two better sit down," Kris said seriously.

Once Kris had finished telling May and Brendan about Latias' presence, their attitudes changed completely. Brendan was nervously biting his neatly trimmed nails, ignoring his Swampert's pleas for attention, while May was squeezing the armrests of her chair – Kris had no doubt that she'd be able to break them.

"Is it going to happen again?" Brendan asked Kris uncertainly.

"I have no idea," Kris said honestly, "but you two don't have to get yourselves involved. I'm strictly _investigating_ and the Sinnoh League is already aware of this."

"Good!" May said firmly. "Like we want anything to do with that monster! Damn it, I should have known meeting you here would spell nothing but trouble!"

"I missed you too, by the way," Kris deadpanned. "But you might be right. People who help me or generally come in contact with me often end up hurt or in great danger. You two, Iris, Lyra, this guy with a Suicune obsession back in Johto – long story."

Brendan was clearly weirded out by this grim, awkward silence. After some squirming and moving about, he spoke up:

"Enough of this doom and gloom stuff!" he said cheerfully. "May, shouldn't we be getting to the Super Contest Hall? Kris, wanna tag along?"

Against her better judgment, Kris followed May and Brendan to the Super Contest Hall. Along the way, she made the mistake of asking what the difference between Contests and 'Super' Contests were. Brendan said that only a true Coordinator could tell the difference – May argued that there was _no_ difference. Naturally, this sparked an argument that lasted all the way to the Contest Hall. Kris had expected something like the halls of Hoenn, but the Hearthome City Contest Hall was an enormous stadium near the edge of the city, with new Contests held there almost every day.

Brendan wasted no time registering his Manectric to the Cool Contest. As he disappeared to the dressing rooms, Kris and May took their places in the audience. Soon enough, the first round, the visual competition, where the judges evaluated the outfits and visual conditions of the Pokémon presented. Brendan came in first during this round, making May cheer wildly.

The second time was new to Brendan and exclusive to Sinnoh: the dance round. The Pokémon had to dance to the beat of the music as the trio of extremely uptight judges looked on. Manectric was clearly struggling, getting tangled on its legs near the beginning, but eventually managed to get a fairly high score. A girl with long indigo hair in an odd cyberpunk-style uniform, complete with a pink visor, along with her similarly dressed Piplup, came in first place.

The last round made up the bulk of the final score: the appeals. Manectric prepared a powerful Discharge attack, managing to manipulate the flow of the electricity it was discharging, forming a large ball lightning in the air. It then jumped through the ball of electricity, detonating it and forming a bright, powerful explosion, but landed completely harmlessly. The crowd went wild, and the power of this appeal more than made up for the dance round.

When it was the cyberpunk girl's turn to make an appeal, Kris and May paid even more attention. The girl's Piplup stepped out with its chest out, full of confidence. Glancing at its trainer, who nodded encouragingly, Piplup began. At first, it blew several dozen large bubbles and released them to float freely in the air – stuff more fitting to a Beauty or Cute contest, Kris assumed. But then Piplup crouches and spread its stubby wings. The edge of its other wing glowed white as Piplup prepared a combination of Agility and Aerial Ace as it jumped into the air. Moving incredibly fast, Piplup managed to break every single bubble before landing. The ensuing drops of water combined with the bright searchlights around the arena caused a rainbow to briefly appear, more visible as the appeal was played again on the giant screen while Piplup posed coolly, as if to say 'the rest of you might just give up now'.

No one, not even Kris and May, were surprised when the girl, apparently Dawn of Sandgem Town, along with Piplup, were declared the winners of the Contest.

As Kris and May went to look for Brendan in the Coordinators' preparation room, a full argument was in place between Brendan and Dawn, a black-haired boy with a beret attempting to make peace.

"...no way a puny Piplup could move like that!" Brendan argued. "What kind of drugs did you use? 'Cause you gotta share if you have those!"

"For your information, _commoner,_ " Dawn yelled back, shocking Brendan as if Dawn had just used a slur, "this is all the result of my brilliant creativity and _months_ of hard work!"

"Days of hard work, you mean," the beret-boy said.

"Shut up, Lucas!"

"But lying is, like, totally not cool!"

"You couldn't have possibly come up with that yourself!" Brendan still argued, though was trying to calm himself down. "We'll just see how your smoke and mirrors work in the Grand Festival – though I doubt I'll be seeing you there."

"Me too," Dawn said and crossed her arms, "I mean, you'll have a hard time seeing my awesome appeals if the guards don't let you through the front door..."

"Oh _it is on-_ ow!"

May pulled Brendan away from the argument by his ear, Kris just sort of watching the drama from a distance, grinning in amusement.

"Sorry about this idiot," May told Dawn and Lucas while still holding Brendan's ear painfully. "I swear, you give a boy some cool clothes and then they think they can throw a hissy fit whenever they like. Uh, hi, I'm May. That was some cool stunt with the Piplup back there – and I was falling asleep through most of that!"

"You mean you didn't see me perform?" Brendan asked pathetically.

"Of course I stayed awake for _that_ part!"

May let go of Brendan, who appeared to have cooled off, though he still shot a nasty glare in Dawn's direction. Dawn took off her cool visor and flipped her hair gracefully.

"Put a shock collar on him or something," she said snidely. "But it is indeed a pleasure – I'm glad my 'cool stunt' got the admiration it deserved. My name is Dawn Berlitz, of the esteemed Berlitz family. I'm sure you've heard of them."

"Umm... nope, sorry," May said.

Dawn frowned at her. "Preposterous! Are you sure you are not an illiterate, commoner girl? I'm talking about the wealthiest family in Sinnoh, known all throughout the land."

"Well, I'm from Hoenn..."

"Oh. So you _are_ an illiterate, then."

Kris cringed and retreated, swearing she could hear something snap in May's head.

"Brendan," she hissed, "could you hold me back before I _strangle that arrogant_ -"

"Please, everyone just calm down!" Lucas attempted, but to no avail.

As interesting as the fight that was about to unfold was, Kris felt like it was her time to retreat. She couldn't help but think about May's words earlier, and she couldn't really follow her and Brendan all over Sinnoh to get ribbons this time. But as she was about to leave, she felt her PokéDex vibrate.

At first she couldn't understand what was going on – it wasn't like that thing could receive messages or anything. Maybe someone had finally sent her an ask on tumblr? But she hadn't synced her PokéDex yet...

It turned out to be the energy-tracking app, apparently, though it hadn't caused her PokéDex to vibrate before. A very small, pale purple dot had appeared on the map. And, as Kris found out after zooming in as close as possible, the source of energy was right there at the Contest Hall – only a couple of yards away. Kris glanced at May, Brendan, Dawn and Lucas, May yelling insults at Dawn and only getting angrier when Dawn responded with cool, witty retorts. It was odd... as soon as Kris pointed at Dawn with the PokéDex, it vibrated as if it had detected something.

Kris quickly put the PokéDex away and left the Contest Hall before Dawn caught her staring. Perhaps the device was just broken... or then things were about to get needlessly complicated. As Kris reached the Contest Hall's lobby and left through the front door, a surveillance camera turned to follow her movements.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Route 215, Sinnoh** _

"Why is this so needlessly complicated?!" Iris raged.

Iris was attempting to get to Celestic Town. What was stopping this was a group of Psyduck who were literally blocking the path connecting routes 210 and 215. Normally she'd just wade through them or have Fraxure knock them all out – but as Iris tried to both, it turned out that a couple of dozen Psyduck could exert enough psychic energy to stop her from advancing and beat Fraxure to the curb. So, she had to retreat to a nearby café and start working on ways to get past the Psyduck while enjoying a bottle of Moomoo Milk which she shared with Fraxure.

"Let's see, Psyduck," Iris muttered as she scrolled through all the data in her PokéDex. "Ugh, isn't this ridiculous, Fraxure? I know we've dealt with trees, rocks and people with flimsy excuses being in the way, but a group of Pokémon who just happened to pick _that_ spot to have a little hootenanny in... or whatever they're up to. So ridiculous. Maybe there's a way around them. Wish Kris were here. She told me she's great at reading maps... a-ha! Found it!"

Mesmerized by Psyduck's PokéDex entries, Iris failed to notice when someone else entered the café. But she perked up immediately when the clerk spoke up:

"Ah, Ms. Cynthia! Here for the usual?"

"Yes, thank you, but I thought I told you before not to unnecessarily announce my name... that said, I do have a craving for some strawberries!"

Iris definitely recognized the name 'Cynthia'. The mere mention of it, along with a voice she had heard from countless TV interviews, gave her shivers and made her too embarrassed to turn around and confirm her suspicions. As Iris kept pretending to read her PokéDex, the customer seemed to stay to chat with the clerk.

"Those Psyduck gathering outside are probably giving you trouble," she said.

"Oh, so that's why you're here, Ms. Cynthia! Well, in a way, yes, but then again, now that people can't go anywhere, they _have_ to make a stop in this rural café. I've sold a crazy amount of milk today!"

"Well, that's one reason I'm in the area. Sorry about your business, but I'm afraid traveling between Celestic, Solaceon and Veilstone has become impossible, so I'll have to deal with them now. I'll take the strawberries and one bottle of milk to go, thanks."

As Iris heard the customer leave, Iris couldn't take it anymore and left the table, Fraxure hurriedly following suit. Indeed, it was the Cynthia Iris had been thinking about, the Sinnoh Champion who was famous and popular worldwide, practically worshiped by Pokémon-trainers-to-be in every region. After all, she had held the title of Sinnoh's undisputed Champion for a good seventeen years. Iris and Fraxure followed her out of the store, Cynthia putting her purchases in her bag.

"Ms. Cynthia, wait!" Iris yelled as Cynthia was about to take out a Poké Ball. "Hear me out before attacking them!"

Cynthia glanced at Iris with interest and slowly put her Poké Ball away before crossing her arms.

"You have my attention," she said. "I don't like fighting for the sake of issues like these, but Psyduck's psychic energy can become extremely dangerous if it get out of control. If you have an alternate solution, it better work."

"Um, yes," Iris said and blushed slightly when Cynthia made eye contact with and spoke to her so casually. "I know... I mean, um, of course you would know, too, being the Sinnoh Champion and all, but, um, just probably didn't consider – I mean-"

"Just calm down," Cynthia reassured. "I won't be offended if you know something that I don't."

"Well... Psyduck's psychic energy intensifies when Psyduck have headaches. These Psyduck must be extremely sick or something, because there's no way they'd ever act this way!"

Cynthia raised her eyebrows at Iris. "Interesting," she mused. "According to professor Rowan's initial studies, the headaches were _caused_ by their psychic powers and their inability to regulate it properly. But how many would have thought it was the other way around... how do you know this, um...?"

"Iris – um, Iris of the Village Dragons," Iris said, trying hard not to mess up her words. "From Unova! Um, I don't mean to brag, but I have this..."

Iris gave Cynthia the her PokéDex.

"Few people have these," Cynthia said. "Are you perhaps working for professor Rowan?"

"I've been here for less than a week," Iris said as Cynthia returned the PokéDex. "Professor Elm and Oak gave it to me, and I've collected a lot of data on Pokémon in Unova, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. Um, since Psyduck appears in all of these regions, I've had plenty of time to analyze this info and compare it to the notes professor Elm had made..."

Cynthia smiled. "That's impressive," she praised. "If that's how it is, I'll find a different way. Fortunately I met a friend from Johto the other day, and she gave me something I have use for..."

Cynthia pulled a small pouch full of small red capsules from her pocket.

"But even if that'll cure them," Iris said, "how are you going to get to them? I tried approaching them and nearly got blown up by all that psychic energy!"

Cynthia just smiled at Iris reassuringly and started to calmly walk towards the group of Psyduck. The Psyduck just stood there, all with the same vacant expression, but Iris could already sense them charging up psychic energy, ready to blast Cynthia with it. Cynthia no doubt felt it, too, but kept slowly walking towards them with no care in the world, holding the medicine clearly visible.

"It's all right," she told the Psyduck softly. "I know why you're here, and that you're not feeling well. This will make you better – but I need you to trust me."

Iris cringed, expecting to see Cynthia on the ground in a few seconds – and that was the best case scenario. But the Psyduck didn't do anything, allowing Cynthia to get right next to them. When Cynthia patted one on the head, any suspicions they had seemed to be gone and the psychic energy they omitted was getting slightly weaker.

Iris just stood in awe as Cynthia managed make each one of the sick Psyduck open their beaks and allow Cynthia to drop a capsule in their mouths. Once she was done, a few minutes passed as the Psyduck swallowed the medicine and continued to stare vacantly. Then, miraculously enough, one by one, the Psyduck started leaving to separate directions, still holding their heads as usual, but whatever ailment had bothered them apparently gone. Cynthia walked over to her calmly, like it had been just another day at the office.

"That was an excellent observation, Iris," Cynthia said. "Psyduck tend to gather together in times of stress, which might have just infected more of them. They must have been in considerable pain, which may have caused them to be unaware of the trouble they were causing. I'm glad you stopped me from having to use unnecessary force."

"N-no need to praise me!" Iris was quick to say and turned away to desperately hide her blushing. "I mean, the way you just calmly approached them without any Pokémon... _that_ was really something."

Cynthia just smiled and started eating the strawberries she had just bought.

"These really go better with milk," she said, "but meh, seeing the Psyduck munch on that medicine made me hungry..."

"Um, Cynthia?" Iris said meekly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want one?" Cynthia asked. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm all out," she said and put her nearly full box of strawberries away quickly.

"No, not that. I just... um, well, how did you know how to come here?"

Cynthia stealthily ate another strawberry while staring at Iris, clearly contemplating on how to answer.

"I detected a lot of psychic energy in the area," she said eventually. "I was mistaken about the source, but let's just say that there has been a lot of it in Sinnoh recently... it may have been the cause for the way these Psyduck were acting."

Iris snapped her fingers. "Of course! Um, Ms. Cynthia-"

"Cynthia, please, I have to keep saying this to people."

"Oh... r-right! I was just, um, wondering if you happened to be a member of the, um... Legendary Pokémon Society?"

Cynthia frowned at her.

"It's just," Iris said defensively, "I, um, met Lance and Steven and Wallace before and they were all members, and if you're looking into the psychic energy problems here, I just assumed – well, forget I said anything, actually..."

Cynthia seemed to calm down and smiled again, showing Iris her badge. Just like with the others, it was black with the letters 'L' and 'S' printed on it in gold and a Poké Ball symbol between them – just like the one Steven had. Iris calmed down too, stopping to take a breath.

"I had no idea," Cynthia said and seemed much more interested in Iris now. "Lance told me about you and your friends. I had no idea you'd come so far in pursuit of Latias."

Iris nodded frantically and showed the energy-tracking app on her PokéDex.

"I came here for the same reason as you!" she said eagerly. "We want to help stop Latias before anyone gets hurt."

"I mean no offense," Cynthia said politely, "but stopping Latias was impossible even when Lance and Steven combined their strength. Even me and my Garchomp can most likely only mildly injure it, and that's if we're lucky."

"But that's just it!" Iris urged. "If we can't defeat her, we should try to reason with her. And I know what I said sounded pretty crazy," Iris said quickly when Cynthia looked incredulous, "but I also know that Latias has suffered a lot, and that she wouldn't do anything like this ordinarily. There's no such thing as an evil dragon-type!"

"I could name a Pokémon that would change your opinion on that," Cynthia muttered. "But yes, I hear what you're saying, and I don't disagree – Lance and Steven told me all about what Latias had to go through. I promise I see what I can do. It's not like I want to kill her either."

Cynthia's choice of words calmed Iris down, but also created an uncomfortable silence, Iris fidgeting with her sleeves and wondering what to say. Cynthia pulled a small package from her bag and gave it to Iris.

"I should really keep moving," Cynthia said. "I'm really glad I got the chance to meet you. If you're going to stay in Sinnoh, we'll definitely meet again. In the meantime, I'd like you take care of this."

"What is it?" Iris wondered.

"Just a rare artifact I secured from my hometown, Celestic," Cynthia explained. "The museum is asking me to take care of it in case of theft, but any potential thieves will have a hard time stealing it if they can't find it on me. I'll be back for it later, so please take good care of it."

"I will, I promise!" Iris said and kept the package close to her. "Celestic Town is actually where I'm going! What about you?"

"I... need to keep investigating," Cythia said. "Until we meet again, Iris!"

Iris had to keep herself from squealing loudly when Cynthia let her Garchomp out and hopped on its back. As the dragon-type launched itself to the sky, it practically disappeared within seconds, Iris wondering just how much one had to train to be able to ride something like that.

When Iris and Fraxure left for the route leading to Celestic Town, she was completely unaware that she was being watched. Two women in Team Galactic uniforms, Commanders Jupiter and Mars, were hiding in the nearby bushes, Jupiter watching Iris through her binoculars.

"Zeus to Ares," Jupiter the purple-haired one, muttered. "The dragon has hatched. I repeat, the dragon has hatch-"

"Let me have the binoculars now!" Mars, the red-haired one, complained. "I wanna see what's going on!"

"You shouldn't have left yours at home, Mars, you idiot," Jupiter retorted.

"Hey, stick with the code names!"

"These code names suck."

"You dare question the word of the boss?"

"Yes!"

"Well if you do that again, I'll totally tell. Then he _definitely_ won't allow us not to speak in code."

" _Damn it_!" Jupiter sighed and lowered the binoculars. "Anyway, the girl's gone."

"Okay," Mars said. "We should report back to Helios. If the Dragon Girl knows the Champion, she could become a problem..."

"Do we really need code names for our code names, anyway?!" Jupiter ranted, ignoring Jupiter. "I mean, it's not like I'm really fond of _Jupiter_ or _Mars_ either. That just makes it sound like there were Mercury, Venus and Earth before us and the boss got rid of them somehow!"

"I met Moon once, actually," Mars said. "The blonde and klutzy one, remember?"

"...no. Anyway, I think we're done. Connect me to the boss and we're returning to base."

"Hey, only the boss is allowed to order me around! Who put you in charge?"

"The Persians, apparently. Jupiter outranks Mars. Didn't you watch _Hercules_?"

"...which part of that sentence should I correct first?!"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Trophy Garden, Route 212, Sinnoh** _

Leaf and Silver were doing their best to fake interest as they walked through the garden of the exorbitant mansion of Mr. Backlot, an obscenely wealthy man who lived south of Hearthome City and who also owned Amity Square. Though they had a lot to ask from him, they had to keep Backlot happy and listen to him rant about the famous people he had met and the loads of money he owned.

"...which, of course, would have been a problem if I wasn't stinking rich," Backlot finished another riveting story. "I mean, some people just don't flaunt their wealth with style. You know that Mr. Stone fellow from Hoenn? The money his company spends daily? _Chump change_ compared to the fat stacks _I'm_ rolling in! Ooh, look at that, a Happiny!"

"That looks more like a rock that's been spray-painted pink," Leaf commented.

"Gotta love those Happiny," Backlot continued. "Pokémon love my garden, you see. And I love Pokémon – though not in the weird way. Usually. My garden has rare Pokémon that can't be found _anywhere_ else in Sinnoh!"

"It seems like you're very well-connected, Mr. Backlot," Leaf said, wanting to vomit at the tone she said it with.

"Indeed, miss," Backlot laughed. "If there is someone worth knowing, I have passed out sipping glasses of unnecessarily expensive champagne with them!"

"So, then," Leaf said, "you also know the person we were talking about...?"

Mr. Backlot guided Leaf and Silver to his office and closed the door. He then told the two to take a seat while he slowly made his way behind his table so Leaf and Silver could admire the rare artifacts in his office, including a statue of a dark blue, quadrupedal dragon Pokémon with gray, metallic-looking plates sticking out of it.

"Admiring the statue, are we?" Backlot asked.

"No, actually," Leaf said. "We-"

"You see, this is a statue of Dialga. It is a Pokémon only the rare, the chosen, know anything about. A Pokémon capable of twisting the fabric of time itself! It is said to be the ancient deity of time that people in Sinnoh worshiped. Can't you just feel divine power coming from this statue? Want to touch it? I mean, you can't, obviously, but do you want to?"

"No!" Silver said firmly. "Tell us about that man already!" Silver caught Leaf glaring at him. "Um, please, if you don't mind, I mean..."

"My friend is just a little nervous," Leaf covered for Silver. "The man we're looking for is most likely his father, you see."

Backlot sat down and crudely lit a cigar and smoked it right in front of Leaf and Silver while contemplating.

"I knew him," Backlot said wistfully as he stared into the distance. "But how long has it been, goodness... at least twenty years. We had frequent talks, you see. He was a true business man, never gave out personal info about himself unless he had to. He did eventually tell me he had family in Johto, though."

Silver bit his lip. Leaf glanced at him before turning back to Backlot.

"It seems he's the one we're looking for," Leaf said. "What did he say?"

"That's all he said, that they were in Johto," Backlot said. "Didn't even know if he had a son or a daughter. And like your friend there, he wasn't the chattiest type, either. A shame he wasted his promising career, though. I've never been able to strike a partnership with Cynthia like I did with him. Hard to believe he'd just move to be a stay-at-home dad instead of seizing the chance to make millions or even billions more! Can you believe it?!"

Silver was frowning at Backlot from under his long hair like he wanted to jump from his chair and stab the man, but Backlot was too wrapped up in his story to notice.

"He was a determined man who had a liking for rare artifacts," Backlot reminisced. "He would stop at nothing to get them, and he didn't let feelings stand in his way. He didn't come from Sinnoh, though, and I have no idea where he lived before. Even his real name was unknown to us. He hardly ever gave out any interviews, but the people learned to know him as a master of ground-types. He was apparently trained by Bertha, who's currently in the Elite Four. Though with the Sinnoh League about to start, good luck arranging a meeting with her!"

"Anything else?" Leaf asked.

"There is a peculiar white rock on a cliff by the sea close to the Pokémon League. All the Champions write something of themselves in there. His real name probably won't show, but whatever he chose to write should tell you something about him."

"Where?"

"On Route 224, I believe."

For a moment, Leaf forgot about everything related to Backlot or Silver, barely even realizing where she was. All she could think about was what Backlot had just said: Route 224. The same place where Suicune was said to have murdered three people – among them one of the few people left she held dear.

Silver seemed to have realized what Leaf was thinking, and it was his turn to give a worried glance at her now. Before neither could say anything, Backlot's butler suddenly stormed into the room.

"Manners, please!" Backlot admonished him.

"I'm sorry, sir!" the butler cried. "But there's a strange man demanding to get into the office here! He overpowered us!"

"He assaulted you?"

"No! He showed us his bank account! He's almost as rich as you are, sir!"

"Interesting," Backlot mused. "I'm almost done here, so I can talk to him-"

"No, sir!" the butler said. "He, uh, wishes to see your guests."

"Pardon?"

The butler was pushed out of the way as a man with slick brown (or dark blonde, no one really knew) hair wearing a peculiar purple suit and a white cape dashed into the room, pointing dramatically at Leaf and Silver, who reacted with equal amounts of surprise.

"Eusine!" they exclaimed.

"Kris' friends!" he shouted.

An awkward silence followed, during which Eusine adjusted his gloves and cleared his throat.

"And by that I mean," he said, "uh..."

"I'm Leaf and he's Silver," Leaf deadpanned. "What are you doing in Sinnoh? I thought you... I mean, are you okay?"

"Eusine falls not from just a mere hole in his chest," Eusine declared pompously. "In fact, after spending time in a Kanto hospital, I was sent to Sinnoh to undergo some intense physical therapy. I considered my dream to be lost forever, until I met a familiar face in the Jubilife Hospital. According to him, Kris is in Sinnoh right now – and now that I've met you, I _know_ something's up. How come no one told me anything?! Anyway, I will forgive your rudeness and even let you in on a little secret. It's about-"

"Suicune, right?" Leaf asked, Eusine looking annoyed that he was interrupted. "Well, it's just that it's _always_ about that with you. Shouldn't you take up stamp-collecting or blogging or something to keep you occupied?"

"Enough talk!" Eusine announced and swung his cape dramatically. "I will explain on the way. To the Eusinemobile!"

"Is that a thing?" Silver asked Leaf, but followed her out of the mansion anyway, leaving Mr. Backlot dumbfounded.

But as soon as Backlot heard the sound of a car leaving the premises, he picked up his phone and called a man whom he knew would be interested in what had just transpired.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: An office building in Veilstone City, Sinnoh** _

After another boring board meeting, Cyrus, a famous CEO and philanthropist who had constructed hundreds of buildings throughout Sinnoh, was summoned to the office of his only superior, Sird, the one who owned the company he Cyrus ran, along with many others. With blue, spiky hair and blue eyes, Cyrus was only 27, but seemed older than that to many, what with his receding hairline, the many lines on his face and the dignified, experienced way he carried himself. It was said that his extraordinary intelligence was what allowed him to climb from a nobody from Sunyshore City to become one of the richest, most influential people in Sinnoh.

"You understand that by placing you in command of Galaxy Incorporated, I'm putting a great deal of trust in you," Sird told Cyrus, who had to bow down in front of her. "I know you have the company's interests I mind, but this month's spending is completely absurd."

"I live to serve your business empire, madam Sird," Cyrus said calmly. "However, researching alternate energy methods is a timely and costly project. If you wish to cut our funding, you are free to do so. However, not only is this for the good of company as you stated, but also for the good of the entire world."

"Quite," Sird remarked. "What's a few dozen million in that? All right, Cyrus, you may go. But I'm warning you: don't overstep your bounds."

Bowing one last time, Cyrus left Sird's office and retreated to his private office. Making sure the lights were dimmed and the curtains were closed, Cyrus sat down and turned on his security monitors. There was footage of Kris leaving the Hearthome Contest Hall, footage of Iris leaving the café as filmed by Jupiter and Mars, footage of Leaf and Silver walking around Mr. Backlot's mansion and even footage of Team Galactic Grunts failing to operate a microwave properly in their break room. Cyrus scoffed at their stupidity, wondering if their uselessness would be his undoing.

"It looks like this is all I need to know," Cyrus said out loud, despite the room being seemingly empty. "Good work, doctor."

The short, hunchbacked and mauve-haired lead scientist of Team Galactic, Charon, emerged from the shadows to stand at his boss' side.

"Assuming Backlot's information is correct, the Kanto science girl and the red-haired one should be in Sinnoh for a while," Charon informed Cyrus. "Gotta hand it to you, Boss: I didn't think it before, but this plan is pretty airtight."

"Alder's bodyguard is apparently coming to the city," Cyrus said calmly. "Dispose of her – she's the only one I could see causing us trouble."

"Well you don't beat around the bush, Boss," Charon laughed. "I'll go tell someone right away – if we can use any of the mouth-breathers we have working for us."

Charon left Cyrus' office, leaving him to his own devices. He stared at the screens, not even paying attention to what was happening on them.

"The dragon girl," Cyrus muttered. "The two New Barkians... which one of you will have the honor of becoming the first to be sacrificed for this beautiful new world we're building? I wish for you to be patient with us lower beings... the promised day is coming soon."

All but one of the monitors suddenly turned off, an image of a six-legged, six-winged and six-clawed creature flashing on it briefly.


	14. Iron Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Kris makes her way north, Dawn and Lucas' next stop is Iron Island, where Team Galactic is performing sinister experiments.

**Chapter Fourteen: _Iron Island_**

_**Location: Somewhere near Mt. Battle, Orre** _

_**Four year prior...** _

Wes watched in awe as the girl called Rui did her magic. By closing her eyes and concentrating, Rui was able to pinpoint the locations where the wild packs of Houndour were hiding. Rui then had her Jolteon and Vaporeon paralyze and freeze them in place, while Wes commanded his Espeon to levitate some Poké Balls above them and drop them, allowing him to capture several at a time. In a matter of minutes, all the Houndour had been captured.

Rui, a girl slightly older than Wes with red, pigtailed hair, put her hood back on calmly and just watched as Wes collected the Poké Balls. Wes, however, was ecstatic, and immediately rushed to Rui after collecting all of the balls.

"That was incredible!" he told Rui, who just smiled modestly. "That power of yours... I didn't know such a thing existed! What else can you do?"

Rui stopped smiling and glared at Wes icily. Wes' own excited smile faded away, too.

"What am I, a circus Pokémon?" Rui asked quietly. "Here to entertain you with my differences?"

"N-no!" Wes squealed. "I didn't mean-"

But Rui laughed and nudged Wes with her elbow, making him relaxed again.

"I'm kidding!" she said. "You could say that it comes in handy at times. Really, though, you're the one I should be praising. You're incredibly good with this Pokémon stuff. And you have an Espeon, which means you can't be a total jerk – I'm guessing, anyway. You did really well. I mean, not as well as me, but really well."

Wes smiled, finding himself oddly relaxed with Rui, especially thanks to her sense of humor. Most 'humor' Wes was used to was pretty much people mocking him, so this was a nice change.

"We better get these Pokémon to Nascour and Miror B. if we want to get that massive 15 percent share," Rui remarked. "But really, tell me something, Wes..."

"What's that?"

"You're a pretty good trainer, and there aren't many of those in Orre. We haven't had any annual tournaments since my grandfather's time, either, so now it's pretty much limited to occasional, small-scale matches. Ever thought of participating in those?"

"Not really," Wes muttered. "I mean, this, what I'm doing now, it seems like it's the only thing I'm even remotely good at..."

"Well, you've still gotten farther than me in your life. How old are you again?"

"Oh, um, sixteen."

Rui whistled. "Well I'm seventeen. And I have to say, I don't usually go for younger guys, but you're kinda cute."

Wes felt like one could hatch a Pokémon egg on his face. He blinked at Rui cluelessly, as if to make sure he hadn't heard wrong.

"No I'm not!" he said without thinking. "I mean, um, thanks, I guess...? Really? Wait, did you really say-"

"But spread the fact that I said that around and I'll make sure it's the last thing you'll say!" Rui warned.

Wes was not sure when to laugh and when to take her seriously anymore, so he just nodded nervously.

"And relax!" Rui told him. "Why are you out here in the first place? Shouldn't a kid like you be in school? Not that it'll necessarily help you – I don't feel much smarter now that I graduated. But then again I barely attended classes in the first place."

"I was home-schooled by my mom and the people who work at the lab," Wes mumbled – it wasn't something he was proud of. "I also kind of... stopped showing up for classes a few years ago, so they gave up teachin' me. Now I'm just trying to get money because of... reasons."

"Reasons are always good to have," Rui deadpanned. "But let me ask you this: don't you ever get bored doing this? Hangin' out with shady guys like Nascour and Miror B.? Who I'm sure are great guys once you get to know them," Rui said quickly when Wes was about to say something, "but, let's face it, they're putting their smarts and skills to waste working for guys like Verich and just waiting for the opportunity to come along."

Wes glanced at Rui with interest. Rui had a sly smile on her face and she was eying Wes as if there was some sort of private joke going on between them.

"Says someone who is doing the same thing," Wes pointed out and was careful to try and read Rui's reaction.

Rui just smiled mysteriously again. "I'm just saying that once we're done catching these Pokémon," she said quietly, "maybe I'm going to be looking for more lucrative opportunities. And maybe I'm willing to accept a partner. What do you think about it?"

"How lucrative are you talking about?"

" _Very_."

"I _might_ be interested in a partnership after all, then..."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: In a boat en route to Iron Island, Sinnoh** _

_**Present day** _

"Wes!"

Wes woke up from his daze, relaxing on the boat's deck with his Espeon and Umbreon sleeping around him, as Espeon could easily notify him of any danger. Wes himself was only half-asleep, reminiscing days gone by.

A familiar green-eyed, blonde-haired straw hat -wearing face appeared into Wes' view. Wes blinked.

"We can see Iron Island now," Yellow said calmly. "Are you ready?"

"'Course I am," Wes mumbled, stretched and got on his feet lazily. His Pokémon did the same upon noticing their trainer getting up.

Wes grabbed his small telescope and gazed into the horizon. Indeed, a small, rocky island with remnants of an abandoned ore mine in view could be clearly seen. It would probably only take them between five to ten minutes to reach it. Yellow was apparently acquainted with Eldritch, the sailor who had agreed to take Wes and Yellow to the island.

The question on Wes' mind, though, was...

"Why are we going?" Yellow said. "I mean, is that what you're thinking about?"

Wes' eyes widened. "Don't tell me you can-"

Yellow smiled. "No, I just guessed. I would have thought you'd ask sooner."

Wes relaxed a bit. "I just assumed you knew what you were doing."

"I told you about Team Galactic, didn't I?" Yellow asked, and Wes nodded. "I have good reason to believe they were the ones funding Archie and Team Aqua. So, while you probably don't want to hear this, the Aquas were just the beginning..."

"That always happens," Wes sighed. "I was already prepared."

"I want to investigate them," Yellow explained. "I also wanted to visit the famous Canalave Library in case they had any answers. To the Giratina case, this mysterious prophecy, anything to make me feel a little more useful. And..."

"And?" Wes asked.

Yellow leaned over the boat's edge and gazed into the horizon, past Iron Island.

"I have a feeling something big is going to happen here soon," Yellow said mysteriously. "It's hard to explain, but there's a Pokémon who lives on an island not far from here. It might be the key to unlocking this whole mystery... or it might pose a bigger danger than Team Galactic and Latias combined."

"Speaking of Latias, I'm going to assume she's the reason you called me here," Wes said and crossed his arms – he always felt locked out of the loop when Yellow went all quiet and mystical. "You were completely right about the Rayquaza thing – I have no reason to doubt your word on this either. Kris, Iris and the rest are in Sinnoh too, right?"

"Yes."

"And Latias is, too."

"Yes."

"And you're investigating some team of freaks who dress in spacesuits and don't seem to have the slightest clue on what they're doing?"

"Yes."

"And none of this sounds insane to you? Shouldn't we be, I don't know, _trying to find ways to stop Latias_?!"

"There is no way," Yellow said bluntly. "Not until she makes her presence known. For now, I just have to do what I can. You can still go back if you want to. I told Eldritch to return to Canalave immediately and come back for us later."

Wes grumbled something, but didn't protest or try to refute Yellow. He would go along with Yellow's plan... for now.

"It's nice to have someone around in case I faint," Yellow said with a smile. "And your Pokémon seem well rested."

"I stayed at the hot springs in Lavaridge for like two weeks after the Hoenn incident," Wes said. "Of course, then they found out my credit card wasn't actually real, which was kind of awkward..."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Great Marsh, north of Pastoria City, Sinnoh** _

Other regions had a cool Safari Zone. Sinnoh had a place where one could wade through mud, marsh and swamp while avoiding Pokémon that kept emerging from the muck like some horror movie monsters. Lucas wasn't particularly interested in walking through such a smelly place where his boots and socks were soaked in water and sludge within the first five minutes. Dawn, completely defying Lucas' expectations, traipsed through the mud like a pro, ignoring Lucas' complaints.

"I hate mud," he complained. "It's so... muddy. It just gets everywhere, you know?"

"Yeah, I know, and in fact, I heard you the first ten times!" Dawn snapped. "Now, how many have I caught... aww, rats, I have a full party! Oh, well, I'll be sending them to professor Rowan once we get back to the Pokémon center, anyway. Aren't you gonna be capturing anything?"

"I'm satisfied with the Pokémon I have," Lucas muttered – so far, he had a Grotle, a Staravia and a Nosepass, and hadn't really bothered thinking of getting anything more. He had his hands full trying to make friends with the ones he had.

"Lucas, look!" Dawn yelled suddenly and grabbed Lucas' arm – Lucas didn't even notice what she was pointing, and just stared at Dawn.

"Did you just use my name?" he wondered.

"Never mind that! Look!"

Lucas looked – a Croagunk was struggling in a particularly sticky, marshy area. Trapped in the mud, it seemed to just sink the more it struggled.

"They appear pretty randomly and only on certain days!" Dawn squeed. "We're so lucky! But I can't fit any more into my party... Lucas, now's your chance, capture that thing!"

Lucas groaned. "Do I have to?" he asked. "Shouldn't we help it?"

To Dawn, such a thing sounded like the ravings of a complete lunatic.

"Help it?" she echoed. "It's a Pokémon, in a perfect position to be caught, no less! You know how infuriating capturing Pokémon is in this place? You won't get a chance like this again! It's getting weaker! Chuck a Safari Ball at it and you'll have it for sure!"

Dawn shoved a Safari Ball in Lucas' hand and pushed him forward. He felt awkward about it, but Lucas felt Dawn's gaze in his neck, so he slowly approached the Croagunk, who either hadn't spotted Lucas or just wanted to concentrate on breaking free.

"Uh, hey, buddy," Lucas told the poison-type. "I'm not out to hurt you. Um... are you stuck there?"

Dawn yelled at Lucas to throw the ball, but her cry went on deaf ears. Lucas crouched next to the Croagunk, who froze in terror, but Lucas kept talking to it reassuringly while getting its legs off the mud. Croagunk glanced at Lucas, and once it realized it was free, it dashed off. Dawn sighed and crossed her arms.

"I just don't get you," she said.

Lucas, for his part, just watched the Croagunk run away, smiling sightly. Truthfully, he didn't really get it himself.

For the next week, Dawn and Lucas traveled around Sinnoh. Lucas didn't challenge any gyms and Dawn didn't take part in any further contests, though the duo headed towards Floaroma Town as soon as Dawn heard of an upcoming contest there. Along the way, they studied Pokémon extensively – well, Dawn studied and Lucas offered his input.

Which usually consisted of a lot of "oh's" and "I see's".

Along the way, Lucas had caught a Nosepass, and thanks to Dawn's knowledge of the magnetic fields around the mountain range, he was able to evolve it into a Probopass. Dawn herself had captured a Pachirisu, and both her Piplup and Lucas' Turtwig had evolved into Prinplup and Grotle, respectively.

However, in Floaroma Town, Lucas got a message to his PokéDex, which supported the instant messaging feature. The only other people who had that feature (that he knew of) were Dawn and Barry.

"Dawn!" Lucas shouted as the girl had finished healing her Pokémon at the Pokémon Center. "We got a message from Barry!"

Dawn just looked irritated.

"The fast-talking blonde guy who was with me when we met," Lucas elaborated.

"Yeah, I know," Dawn said. "That's why I didn't look too happy."

"He asked us to meet him in Canalave City," Lucas continued on cluelessly. "And, your contest is... oh."

"Do we _have_ to go?" Dawn asked and crossed her arms grumpily. "And did he really have to choose a time like this? I just bet he was waiting until this contest to send that just to spite me."

Lucas let the comment slide. " _You_ don't have to go," Lucas was quick to say. "I can go myself and then, uh, I don't know, come back here to meet you. _I mean_ , not that you have to stay here and wait for me or anything. Um, not that I _want_ you to leave me behind either, it's just... um... well, you know..."

While Lucas rambled on, Dawn stared at him, contemplating on something. Dawn's gaze made Lucas even more nervous and he stopped talking, waiting sheepishly for her to reply.

"All right," Dawn said perkily after a while. "I've decided. I'll go with you."

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked. "The contest-"

"Canalave City has the famous library, right?" Dawn said. "Why else would I go? I don't need your company and I _certainly_ don't have any desire to see your loud-mouthed friend. But I'll let you enjoy my presence a bit longer. I already won a ribbon, so I'm good. Now come on, let's find a way to get there quickly."

As Dawn marched past Lucas, the latter followed suit obediently, trying to hide the big grin on his face.

Lucky for the duo, there were docks just west of Floaroma Town, and a cheap ferry service promised to take people to Canalave City, allowing Dawn and Lucas to avoid the long walk through Jubilife. Though both the boat and its captain looked unreliable and smelled bad, Lucas wanted to get to Canalave fast, wondering what Barry had in mind that was so urgent. He convinced a reluctant Dawn to come too, speaking of the wonders they had in the library and the tediousness of having to walk all the way there.

However, as the group was about halfway there, Lucas fell violently seasick, and Dawn wasn't happy with the captain's handling of the boat, either. As Lucas was too busy ejecting his lunch and breakfast into the sea, Dawn marched over to the boat's controls to have a word with the captain.

Which wasn't going to happen, as there was literally no one controlling the boat.

Dawn didn't know the specifics of what was going on, but she quickly realized that they had walked into a trap – Dawn was already suspicious of the fact that she and Lucas were the only passengers, but Lucas' logic over Dawn's shoes getting too worn if she had to walk had overwhelmed her.

"Lucas!" she shouted as she ran to the boy and grabbed Prinplup's Poké Ball. "Lucas, shape up! Something terrible has happ-"

A hatch suddenly blew open and four Team Galactic grunts appeared from under the deck, all of them carrying Poké Balls. Dawn managed to get Lucas aware of the situation with a hard slap on the face, managing to get him to grab a Poké Ball of his own.

The meanest-looking grunt, who looked like he was constantly restraining himself from beating up everyone he saw – and who had very prominent, swollen buttocks, Dawn noticed – was the only one to speak out.

"We got you at last!" he raged. "This time, there's no champion helping you out, and our glorious leader wants you out of the way!"

" _Booty_!" Lucas gasped at him, trying to avoid throwing up again.

"B-2! It's B-2! And I have a personal score to settle with you two!"

"How can that be, we've never even met," Dawn said. "Or maybe we have... no offense, but do you _all_ have to have the same clothes and hair styles?"

"Enough! I shall be the one to battle you! Hippowdon, go! Avenge my buns!"

"Prinplup, go! Lucas, this is _no_ time to be violently ill! Get on with it!"

"R-right... um, Grotle, go..."

Dawn and Lucas sent out their evolved starters while B-2 sent out a very large, black Pokémon with a humongous mouth and red eyes. The sheer weight of the bulky Pokémon caused the boat to tilt dangerously, one of the grunts almost falling over the edge, but B-2 didn't care. He had an insane, murderous grin on his face as he stared at Dawn and Lucas.

When Hippowdon opened its mouth and roared, a sandstorm suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It blinded Dawn and Lucas, and based on the yelling, did the same to the grunts as well.

"Now Crunch!" B-2 yelled insanely.

Dawn, Lucas, Prinplup and Grotle couldn't see where the attack was coming from, but realized not to stay still and ran to separate directions, the slow-moving Hippowdon's powerful jaws biting through the boat's rail instead. The way the boat was rocking, Lucas quickly scattered away so he wouldn't be thrown overboard in his disoriented state.

"I have an idea!" Dawn yelled from somewhere Lucas couldn't see. "Rain Dance!"

Prinplup started bouncing around, making an odd sorts of dance that – somehow – caused dark clouds to obscure the sky and rain to start falling, clearing away the sandstorm. Now everyone could see what was in front of them, the rain causing the Hippowdon to shudder a bit.

"Now blast it with Energy Ball!" Dawn advised.

"Uh, Grotle... what she said!" Lucas said groggily, as he was more focused on clinging on to his life.

This time, that was enough. Grotle's attack exploded magnificently upon contact with Hippowdon, rocking the boat even further and causing one grunt to fall over the edge. Hippowdon wasn't out yet, though, and neither was the positively insane B-2.

"Don't you dare mock me!" he yelled. "GIGA IMPAAAAAACT!"

"No, don't do that!" a grunt cried. "We'll be-"

But the grunts just stared in awe, B-2 grinning madly with drool dripping down his chin, as Hippowdon crouched and launched itself into the air, enveloping itself in a purple glow.

Both Dawn and Lucas had the same idea at the same time. They returned their Pokémon and rushed towards the edge of the boat as Hippowdon began to drop. The insane grin on B-2's face didn't even fade as Dawn and Lucas jumped out of the boat while Hippowdon collided with where they had just been, the power of the attack tearing the boat in half. Dawn and Lucas were already in the water and swimming for their life as the boat broke down in dozens of pieces and the grunts went screaming overboard, B-2 yelling something about his sore buttocks.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Route 216, Sinnoh** _

Kris was wading her way through the snow that was up to her knees. Though she had remembered to bring the winter gear she had used on the Ice Path and Mt. Silver along, nothing could have prepared for the struggle she had to go through just to move forward – and her socks were soaking wet.

"I. Hate. Snow," Kris complained to no one as she slowly made her way forward, refusing to accept the fact that it'd take her days to reach Snowpoint City like this. "It's so damn _snowy_! And it's coarse and it gets everywhere! Well, not really, but... damn it, this is pointless! Froslass!"

Kris summoned her ice- and ghost-type, whom she hadn't used much since the battle with Missile. Froslass was happy to be in its element, and suddenly disappeared mysteriously as soon as she got out of the ball. But Kris knew what Froslass was trying.

"All right, I'm sorry, but I don't really have time to play now," Kris laughed as Froslass kept disappearing and randomly reappearing all over the place. "We have to keep going. I knew you'd like this, though. I really don't think I'll be letting the others out in this state, so can you carve a path for me?"

Froslass initially didn't seem to be listening, but just disappeared again. Kris sighed and looked around her, eventually spotting the ice-type's large eyes shining from a pile of snow.

"Found you," Kris told her, and the playful Froslass emerged from the snow, squealing happily. "Enough of this, though – carve a path, please."

The 'please' seemed to do the trick, and Froslass used Ominous Wind to blow the snow away, creating a walkable path. The path Froslass had created stretched farther than Kris could see, which made Kris whistle appreciatively.

"Nice!" she praised. "I'd hug you if I weren't afraid of what would happen..."

With Froslass floating above her like a creepy guardian angel, Kris felt secure walking down the path. She was still far away from Snowpoint City, but at least she'd get there before dying out of exhaustion. And, despite the cold, it was calm and quiet outside and the weather was really nice.

Just as Kris thought that, the wind suddenly got harsher, the cold stinging her cheeks. Froslass went mad with joy and started flying around, occasionally letting the wind carry her around. Kris wished she could be as happy about it as Froslass was.

After a few minutes of walking and struggling against the wind, Kris was back to cursing and throwing a fit, though at least she had someone to complain to now – not that Froslass seemed to be listening. It was tough to be heard anyway, over the wind. And the loud, rumbling sound that seemed to be getting louder.

_Is that a car?_

Kris turned around and frowned when she saw a black SUV speeding her way. It was odd to see such a polluting vehicle in Sinnoh, especially in the middle of nowhere. Weirdest thing was, the SUV was slowing down as it approached Kris, almost as if its driver was looking for her, specifically.

That usually wasn't a good thing.

From Kris' command, Froslass floated down and settled next to Kris, ready to blast whoever was driving the thing with an Ice Beam attack. If they were hostile, of course. Or maybe just for driving a car like that for seemingly no reason.

Kris raised her hand, ready to give Froslass the signal as the SUV pulled over next to her – but was saved from a potential lawsuit as someone from the back seat rolled open the darkened windows and gave Kris a cheerful wave. Kris recognized the bespectacled, black-haired young man.

"Cheren!" she exclaimed.

A few minutes later, Kris had withdrawn Froslass and taken a seat next to Cheren, the SUV speeding towards Snowpoint. The back seats were very comfortable and _very_ spacious, with plenty of leg room. The front seats and whoever was driving the car were hidden by a divider and a darkened window.

_Unless this is one of those magical robot cars..._

Kris decided to ask Cheren that. "Is th-"

"It's not a magical robot car," Cheren said right away, "if that's what you're wondering. I'm on official business and I can't drive myself."

"Well, thanks for taking me to Snowpoint City," Kris said sincerely. "But I'm guessing you also want something?"

Cheren just nodded and took some papers from his briefcase, passing them on to Kris. They were black and white mugshots of people in spacesuit-like uniforms, all of them, women and men alike, with the same bowl cut.

"Wait a minute," Kris said as she looked at the pictures. "Hilda warned me about these – are they Team Galactic?"

"Yes," Cheren said seriously and folded his arms. "And we have confirmed the identity of their leader. That's why I'm here in Sinnoh, now. Take a look at the last picture."

Kris looked – it was a newspaper article, with a photo of someone Kris remembered seeing on TV a couple of times, though his name escaped her at the moment. He had blue, spiky hair and a very serious look to him.

"Cyrus," Cheren explained. "CEO of Galaxy, a company doing research and development on alternate energy sources right her in Sinnoh, among other things."We weren't going to scour around the region mindlessly in search of their boss, especially when someone that obvious was under our noses. Madam Sird noticed Cyrus has been using the company profits for shady purposes for a long time now, and was able to do the math easily. She then asked me to take care of it – specifically, she asked me to seek the help of a certain someone with a great deal of experience dealing with these situations, in both Johto and Hoenn..."

Cheren turned to look at Kris slowly, leaned on his hands and smiled at her slyly. Kris dropped the papers Cyrus had given her and pointed at herself in shock, Cheren nodding.

"But that's ridiculous!" Kris exclaimed. "I mean, okay, I did a _lot_ ," she said sheepishly, "but that's because I had a lot of people helping me, including two Champions! And in the end, Team Aqua brought themselves down. Like, what are you expecting _me_ to do?"

"Dear Kris," Cheren sighed and took his glasses off – Kris had to admit he looked very mature for his age without them, although she liked the other look as well, "the important thing is that we sell the _image_ of you doing such a heroic thing. 'An ordinary Pokémon trainer, not even an adult, overcoming obstacles and destroying Team Galactic, the fiends who threaten the peace of Sinnoh'. If we let the police or the government or someone famous like Cynthia take care of this, at least publicly, it only further distances them from the average person. But this way we'll make Patty and Phil Pedestrian feel like they, too, could make a difference. Which isn't even a lie! I mean, look at you! You didn't accomplish this much using something unique and extraordinary – it was thanks to motivation, hard work, your friends, and a bit of luck."

Kris smiled and turned to look out of the car's window. She felt her PokéDex vibrate again, but ignored it for now. She stared at an old man wearing a thick winter coat that the car passed by, but she couldn't really see him. She thought about Cheren's words; sure, she could see what he was trying to do.

 _But... does that also mean..._?

"Wait a minute," Kris said as she slowly turned to look at Cheren again. "So... for once in my life... I'd actually get _credit_ for what I did? For the realz?"

"Fo' realz," Cheren replied dryly. "Best part is, you'll just have to _look_ like you're doing something. Let the ones whose job it is do most of the work, then you can swoop in, look good for the press and take the credit. I'll do my best to make it work."

"What's the catch?" Kris asked immediately. "Why does Sird want you to do this? Do I have to sign something? Sell my soul to her company?"

"Nothing like that," Cheren laughed. "If you'd work for us, that'd be great – but this takes precedence. Team Galactic has to be stopped, and it's mutually beneficial if you'd be the one people would thank should that happen."

Kris could barely stay still. She remembered the assignment professor Elm gave, but it felt insignificant in comparison to what was going to happen. _Finally_ , all the work would pay off in ways Kris had been expecting. And how much danger could Latias pose anyway? So far, she hadn't done anything, and with people like Alder and Hilda and even _Cynthia_ of all people on the case, what would they need Kris for?

**~o~O~o~**

Blaine, the gym leader of Cinnabar Island and a former Pokémon researcher, clutched his left shoulder. The cold was definitely getting to the wound. He clenched his teeth as a black SUV drove past him rudely. Not that he was even looking for a lift – he just had negative feelings of people who drove those things. He lowered to hood of his thick winter jacket, revealing his shining bald head, black sunglasses and thick, white mustache. Struggling against the snow and wind of north Sinnoh forced him to finally admit something: he wasn't as young as he used to be.

But thanks to the data professor Elm had sent him, Blaine knew that the thing he was looking for was here somewhere. And it would definitely come out once it sensed his presence. As he kept thinking about what he'd say when that happened, he felt his left shoulder tingle in a familiar way. When that happened, he walked off the main route and into the forest, wanting to make sure no one would see what was happening.

After ten minutes of walking, Blaine reached a clearing. He fell on his knees and jerked his head up.

"You can come out now," he growled.

The ground exploded next to Blaine, causing snow to fly everywhere. Blaine shielded his head with his hands, but kept his eyes open, seeing a tall, purple, bipedal feline creature with a long, dark purple tail appear next to him as if out of nowhere, it eyes glowing light blue and its three-fingered hand aimed at Blaine.

"Hi," Blaine greeted it nervously.

" _You followed me all the way out here_ ," Mewtwo said. " _Do you wish to capture me again? If so, you will force me to forget every positive thing I know about your species, human – and there aren't a lot of them_."

"I wanted to talk to you," Blaine said, his voice rougher than ever. "Like it or not, there's a bond connecting us that's even more powerful than you."

" _Of course_ ," Mewtwo said and scowled down at Blaine. " _Does your arm still hurt? Because I really hope it does_."

"Actually, it only kind of tingles now," Blaine said and almost laughed.

Slowly, making sure not to agitate Mewtwo, Blaine got on his feet and removed his winter jacket. Mewtwo's expression didn't change, but Blaine knew it was surprised when Blaine revealed his left arm.

Or he would have – except it wasn't there anymore.

"They had to amputate it, after all," Blaine said simply.

" _Do you expect me to feel guilty?_ " Mewtwo asked quietly.

"No. I paid the price for my failure. I should have never been arrogant enough to experiment with my own DNA. Anyway, Elm kept nagging me to see a doctor even after you left Johto. Love the guy, but he gets on my nerves a _lot_. When I finally did... well, this happened, and I had to close my gym and spend months here in Sinnoh, recuperating and learning to make do with just one arm. Turns out I'm doing just fine."

" _Is that all you wanted to_ -"

"My point is this," Blaine rasped. "You can spit on humanity and all our scientific accomplishments, but it was humans and our medical science that saved my life and released me from my curse. _And_ , arrogant as it may be, but I'm still proud of how you turned out. You're not even my creation anymore – you're an independent entity, and you're using your life to do something far more noble than I could ever hope to do."

Mewtwo turned away. " _Noble_?"

"No need to be modest," Blaine laughed. "Elm told it all. You were trying to help that poor Latias. And you saved Hoenn from her. And you... Mega Evolved?"

Mewtwo turned to stare at Blaine again. " _Your doing_?"

Blaine shook his head. "Probably Fuji and his team. And I'm sure that bastard Giovanni ordered more power, too. I'm guessing he has a key stone or something. But the Mega Stone they created for you is most likely _inside_ you. And you managed to find a way to use its power without human involvement. I just wanted to say how amazing I think it is... Mewtwo."

Mewtwo stared at its hands for a while, a look of disgust on its face. It seemed to be struggling with what it was about to 'say', as if it was hating itself for what it was thinking. Blaine leaned on his question mark -shaped cane with his right hand and waited patiently.

" _I want to ask you something_ ," Mewtwo said finally, cringing at having to lower itself to Blaine's level. " _A couple of things. No, I don't_ want _to. You're the last person I_ want _answers from. But I need them. And my life doesn't seem to go the way I want it to_."

Blaine just nodded. "I've been waiting for this. Ask away."

" _How were you able to create me? You are just humans_."

Blaine sighed wearily. "The documents regarding the advanced cloning techniques are gone. I raised you and made you what you are, but the first spark that allowed you to be born was created by Fuji. That being said..."

Blaine sat down on a nearby log and stared at the ground contemplatively.

"Nobody _really_ knows the mysteries of life yet. We've gotten far, but still... they elude us. You're not a completely artificial creation, after all. There's a bit of me in you, like it or not. Mostly, your genes come from Mew. I don't know where Mew is now, as only one person alive today has seen it, and he refuses to talk about it even to me. Mr. Fuji, the father of the scientist you killed. Thanks to his research, we were able to find Mew's genetic material on the place we dubbed 'Faraway Island'. Not the most inventive name, I have to admit..."

Blaine looked up at Mewtwo. "But you're neither Mew nor me, just like I'm not my mother or my father. You're an individual. A part of me believes in fate, seeing as the chances of something as incredible as you being born from our experiments were incredibly slim... but I also believe in that your fate is yours to change. _You_ choose what you do with your life."

Blaine's praise only seemed to sour Mewtwo's mood, but the answer placated it for now. It wasn't done yet, though.

" _You told me about The Original One. Can They answer my question_ _s_ _and how do I meet Them?_ "

"The Original One, or as legends call the avatar it uses when dealing with earthly matters... Arceus. Yes... I don't know anything about them other than what I told you. Maybe they can answer your questions, but if you want my opinion, you should really try to find those answers by yourself."

Mewtwo was displeased with the answer, but continued on. This next one was the hardest to ask, and Mewtwo avoided eye contact with Blaine before asking its last question for now.

" _What value does my existence have_?"

Blaine looked up at Mewtwo, frowning. Mewtwo stared at its hands again, unable to stop them from shaking.

" _I've watched and caused so much death_ ," Mewtwo said quietly. " _I tried to save Latias' soul and failed._ _I couldn't even defeat her after Mega Evolving._ _What am I supposed to do_?"

Blaine dragged himself up, though he kept his distance from Mewtwo.

"All life is valuable," Blaine said simply. "It's not always readily apparent, but it is. You just have to try your hardest to make the right choices and be as good as you can be. Isn't that enough? After all, your influence helped save Hoenn. Just because you didn't accomplish _everything_ doesn't mean you didn't accomplish _anything_."

Blaine looked at the sky.

"Latias is here in Sinnoh, isn't she?" he asked.

Mewtwo nodded slowly, which amused Blaine. That was a human method of communicating if he ever heard of one.

"Then you know what to do," Blaine continued and put his jacket back on, struggling a bit with having to do it with one arm, but still buttoning it surprisingly quickly. "I should get going. But I enjoyed talking to you. So far, I haven't talked to much people in Sinnoh besides doctors and this Suicune-obsessed weirdo."

" _Are you really able to just keep moving after all that you've done?_ "

"What else could I do?" Blaine said with a shrug.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Iron Island, Sinnoh** _

Dawn and Lucas had washed up on the nearest island they could find, managing to get there by hanging on Dawn's Prinplup. No one had swam after them, the Galactic Grunts having either went elsewhere... or drowned. Despite this, the duo couldn't risk being caught and took shelter in a tunnel leading to the abandoned ore mine.

But it only took the duo a few minutes of walking to come across _more_ Team Galactic Grunts. They all seemed to be in a hurry, allowing Dawn and Lucas to take cover and sneak into another room. But that room had Team Galactic's goons in it as well: two grunts standing on both sides of the room as guards, a Commander Dawn and Lucas recognized from the Valley Windworks – Saturn – and another commander, a short, hunchbacked one with graying mauve hair and red-tinted glasses wearing a white lab coat over his uniform.

Dawn took the chance to observe her surroundings. The 'room' seemed to be another human-made cave inside the mountain, full of jagged rocks and with plenty of cover to be found. The man in the lab coat seemed to be working on something that looked like welding near a stone platform in the middle of the room while Saturn seemed to be cringing and looking away for some reason.

There were several exits around the room, two on both sides where the grunt stood in guard, and one where Dawn and Lucas had come from. That said, the only light in the room was a dim lamp in the middle of the room, the rest of the cave shrouded in shadows, meaning there could be something else there, too. For now, Dawn and Lucas laid low and watched the man in the lab coat work. He seemed to be humming something as he did so:

"Millions of dollaaa-aars~," he sang. " _Millions of dollars, millions of dollars, millions and millions and millions of dollars~_!"

He stopped welding for a moment, apparently to take a break.

"Charon!" Saturn yelled at the man, who perked his head up cheerfully. "This experiment of yours... is it really worth all this? Shouldn't you be out looking for Registeel?"

Lucas glanced at Dawn, who just shrugged quietly. That was a name she hadn't come across yet. Saturn for his part, looked squeamish, while the man called Charon walked away from the stone table. As he did so, Dawn and Lucas saw what he seemed to be working on, and felt as sick as Saturn did: a small Riolu, possibly one that had hatched not too long ago, was strapped to the stone table, full of burn marks, its mouth gagged somehow to prevent it from making any noise.

"You're way too uptight about these things, you know that," Charon told Saturn in a casual voice. "That's what we pay the grunts for. Relax, take a break, all this worrying is taking a toll on you. Trust me, I'm a doctor after all."

" _Of what_?!" Saturn snapped, Charon's tone clearly getting on his nerves.

Charon just whistled cheerfully and walked in circles around the stone table, inspecting the tortured Riolu from every corner, as if admiring his masterpiece.

"What do you hope to accomplish with this, anyway?" Saturn asked and tried not to look at the Riolu. "I can sort of understand the point of Latias, sick as it was, but this... why?"

Charon adjusted his glasses and smirked at Saturn.

"My, my," he said condescendingly. "The fearsome Commander Saturn is feeling empathy for the poor Pokémon once in his life, is he?"

Saturn clenched his teeth, grumbling insults at Charon, while the scientist just laughed.

"Imagine what some Pokémon researchers would pay for data on Pokémon physiology that they're too scared to obtain," Charon said. "And imagine how useful that data could be? My research benefits all of humanity. Or, you know, whomever lord Cyrus considers worthy of being called 'human'..."

"What do you mean by that?" Saturn asked.

"Hm? Oh, never mind. Just let me handle this Riolu and let the grunts deal with the rest. Hopefully they've captured those annoying intruders, too."

Charon went back to humming cheerfully while electrocuting Riolu with something that looked like a welding machine. Both Dawn and Lucas turned away as they saw Riolu twitching on the stone table, Lucas shivering and Dawn wanting to send out her Pachirisu to make the guy taste his own medicine.

Suddenly, a voice appeared to speak in Dawn's head, almost causing her to reveal her location to the Galactic Grunts:

" _Do not be alarmed. Please continue to stay in hiding for now. I am your friend._ "

Dawn found it hard _not_ to be alarmed. She stared at Lucas, who just gave her a confused glance. Apparently he hadn't heard the voice.

" _We all agree that the Riolu needs to be rescued, right? We have it under control, but we need_ _someone_ _to distract Saturn and those grunts._ _Can we count on you? Nod if you agree_."

Dawn just looked wildly around her. Lucas called out to her in concern, but Dawn didn't listen. Was it a trick by Team Galactic? A sign of her mind finally going?

" _My name is Yellow. Me and my friend Wes are here to fight Team Galactic. I can plainly see that you are not among them, so we're trusting you. Please do the same to us_."

Dawn stared at Charon's back again. None of the Galactics had noticed anything odd – the voice was speaking to her, and only her. Weird as the situation was, Dawn would hate herself forever if she turned her back on the Riolu now. Slowly, she nodded, wondering how on earth the voice in her head could see it.

" _Good. We are very close by. We'll explain everything later._ _You only have to keep Saturn and the rest occupied for a few_ _moments. Leave the rest to us._ "

"Dawn?" Lucas whispered.

"We're saving that Pokémon," Dawn said flatly.

"Thank goodness you were the one to say that," Lucas sighed. "But, um, how?"

"I have no idea."

"...what?"

"No time to explain. We need a distraction."

"That's all I need to hear!"

Lucas didn't wait for further instructions. Eyes set on the suffering Riolu, he stood up to his full height and marched out of his hiding spot and into full view, causing Saturn and the grunts to turn to stare at him. Even Charon stopped working.

"Hey!" Lucas squealed in a high-pitched voice. "Hey, guys, over here! Um, hey, remember me! It's me, Lucas! Um, wait, I don't think I even told you my name last time. How are you, Saturn?"

" _Commander_ Saturn!" the Galactic Commander snapped. "You're the last person we need here now – our plan is at a critical stage and I will _not_ get yelled at by the boss twice!"

"He's already done it, about, five times," Charon pointed out. "Well, not that he ever _yells_ , but-"

"Shut up!" Saturn snapped. "And you," he told Lucas, who was still jumping up and down like an idiot. "Stop distracting us already! You two, escort him out of here!"

Dawn prepared to run to Lucas' aid, but to Lucas' credit, he moved surprisingly smoothly. As a Galactic Grunt tried to grab him, Lucas dodged, ran past him and fled through the now-unguarded exit, the two grunts in hot pursuit. Using the time Lucas bought, Dawn sent out her Pachirisu and stood in full view as well.

"Ah, and the Berlitz girl is not far," Saturn remarked. "Listen, miss, I really appreciate diligence like yours, but we have a job to do. You don't have the Champion by your side this time, so, I'm giving you one last chance. Bugger off..."

Saturn let his Toxicroak out.

"...or we'll make you."

Dawn wasn't really listening, though. As soon as Saturn mentioned the Champion, something occurred to her.

"How do you know she's not here?" Dawn taunted.

Saturn seized up. His pupils seemed to dilate and his face went pale as he stared at Dawn.

"Wh... what?"

"She's not here," Charon said firmly. "The girl is messing with you, Saturn! Saturn?"

Saturn didn't seem to have the nerve to do anything, so Dawn pressed on.

"Yeah, she's right here, probably making stew of your grunts by now," she said. "I mean, you did mention intruders before, right? That's Cynthia for you – when she comes for you, it's like you're attacked by five people at once."

Charon adjusted his glasses. "Well, it's true, there are meddlesome people in here besides you," he said calmly, sounding almost amused. "And if I'm not wrong, _you_ were to be lured into a boat and sunk outside Floaroma Town. Perhaps I should have known what would happen when putting B-2 of all people to the task..."

"Hold on, _what_?!" Saturn exclaimed, forgetting to be afraid. "You didn't mention anything about this to me!"

"You were too busy trying to make these wastes of oxygen we call our grunts to listen to you," Charon remarked and waved the accusations away. "I took care of the situation."

"You can't just go around-"

"Pachirisu, Thunderbolt!"

Saturn and Charon ducked, but the attack was aimed at Toxicroak, who moved nimbly out of the way. Pachirisu stuck its tongue out at Toxicroak and then turned around to moon at it for good measure before dashing away at incredible speed as Toxicroak started chasing it.

"Catch me if you can~!" Dawn taunted Saturn and ran after the Pokémon, an enraged Saturn immediately following, screaming with both anger and fear, still believing Cynthia would pop up at any moment.

Charon just watched the ensuing chaos before shrugging and returning to his "work" nonchalantly. To his dismay, Riolu was already slipping out of consciousness, meaning he'd have to give it another injection...

 _So much work_ , Charon thought and sighed. _What have I done to deserve something like this?_

As Charon leaned to take a syringe from his kit, he perked his head up lazily as he heard someone shouting at him. Wes, armed with nothing but a rock, was charging towards Charon while giving out some kind of bizarre war cry. Charon simply moved out of the way as Wes was close and extended his leg to trip Wes, sending the Orrean tumbling to the ground.

This didn't dampen his spirit, however.

"Bastard!" Wes yelled. "You saw through my foolproof tactic!"

"You must be one of the intruders," Charon remarked calmly. "Are you okay?"

Wes scoffed and stood up, pushing his hair off his face. "You're being pretty calm about this. I have five Pokémon on hand, you know – you have _nothing_. I don't know what kind of sick game you're planning with this Riolu, but it-"

"Excuse me one moment," Charon interrupted.

Wes groaned. "This better be good, I had a speech prepared!"

Charon smiled. "I'm sure," he said. "But, claiming I have nothing? Rather rude, isn't it? Don't treat my friend as if it's just air."

Wes frowned. "Your friend?"

Charon dropped the device he had tortured Riolu with. To Wes' utter shock, however, the tube-like part of it seemed to move on its own accord, sparks flying from the power source attached to the tube. One electric spark hit Wes in the chest and he fell again, hitting his elbow to the rocky ground. However, Charon seemed surprised when Wes managed to get himself up again, albeit with great difficulty.

"That was supposed to knock you out," Charon said, sounding mildly interested. "I can see you've been shocked before. But then again, having to inhabit devices dampens my friend's powers. Come out, Rotom!"

Wes' jaw dropped a bit when he saw a ghostly red Pokémon emerge from the welder-like device's power source. Shaped like a lightning rod, Rotom was small and smiled cheerfully, but Wes could already feel his hairs standing up from the sheer electrical power stored inside it.

His right arm still in pain, Wes was unable to draw a Poké Ball. The only thing he could do now was to keep Charon talking.

"That's your friend, huh?" Wes remarked as he gripped his injured arm. "Never seen a Pokémon like that before."

"Your brilliant strategy when attempting to attack me revealed as much," Charon taunted. "But do not feel sad – _I_ was the one to discover the existence of this Pokémon and even gave it its name when I was but a child. Even then, my genius knew no bounds, and I was able to bond with it."

Rotom circled around Charon, smiling, while constantly making crackling sounds, sparks flying from its body, though they apparently didn't hurt Charon one bit.

"Yes, I see you two have the same interests," Wes said quietly. "Is your Rotom really okay with torturing an innocent Pokémon?"

"Rotom is the only creature in this world whose genius compares to that of mine," Charon said. "It understands the value of my experiments. But perhaps you'd like to witness how powerful it is yourself. Once it is done with this Riolu... hm?"

Charon only seemed a bit surprised again when he saw that the bonds used to keep Riolu on the stone table had been unfastened and Riolu itself was gone. Holding the barely conscious Pokémon under their arm, Yellow was moving towards the cave's exit.

"Wes, now!" Yellow yelled.

Doing his best to ignore the pain in his arm, Wes ran towards Yellow. Behind him, Wes heard Charon give an order to Rotom, and just as Rotom tried to shock Wes, Yellow thrust their arm forward, creating an invisible barrier. Only the sole of Wes' shoe remained outside the barrier as he ran, the force of Rotom's blast melting it.

Charon raised his hand, motioning for Rotom to stop while Wes hid behind Yellow, taking Riolu into his own arms, allowing Yellow the use of both hands. Charon rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stared at Yellow.

"Powers like that..." he muttered. "Amazing! So you must come from... well, regardless, I would _love_ to study you..."

"I'm sure," Yellow grunted.

Wes couldn't shake the feeling that Yellow sounded a bit winded, but there was no time to think about that. Holding Riolu under his arm, Wes dashed towards the exit, sighing in relief as he heard Yellow's footsteps behind him soon enough. Taking multiple turns in the tunnels to lose any potential pursuers, Wes and Yellow then sprinted madly to the direction of the way out of the mines.

Multiple footsteps could be heard from just around the corner in front of them. Wes was about to stop and turn back, but Yellow just smiled reassuringly. Dawn, Lucas and Dawn's Pachirisu ran to meet them, stopping on their tracks in shock. Dawn was the first to recover, though.

"You," she said, pointing at Yellow. "You contacted me, right?"

Yellow just nodded calmly. "I can explain it later. I suspect you don't wish to stay on Iron Island, so you can come with us back to Canalave. We did what we came here to do, I believe."

"Hold on!" Dawn protested. "I heard that creep talking, and it's clear they didn't come with this much force just to do _that_. Torturing Riolu was just something fun on the side for him. They're here because of something else... that guy Charon mentioned a 'Registeel'."

Wes frowned and turned to Yellow. "That say anything to you?"

Yellow's expression was blank for a moment, but they quickly shook it off. "Either way, there's not much we can do. Their grunts have spread all over this island, and if we wait too long, we might miss our ride. Come on!"

And so, the four humans, their Pokémon and the damaged Riolu escaped Iron Island, mercifully not running into more Team Galactic along the way. On the way back to Canalave in Eldritch's boat, Dawn and Lucas introduced themselves properly, though there wasn't much talking on the ride back.

...

As soon as the boat reached the docks of Canalave City, Wes and Yellow left to places unknown while Dawn and Lucas hurried to meet Barry. Of course, he hadn't pointed out the exact location.

Nor did he need to.

Dawn and Lucas only managed to take a few steps before something blonde wearing a shirt with orange and white stripes crashed into Lucas with a loud 'THUD!' sound, Dawn flinching and taking a step backwards as it happened.

Both Lucas and the impatient individual in question lay on the cobblestone street, groaning as they got on their feet.

"Hey, watch it!" the crasher yelled. "What the... well, dang it! Lucas!"

"Barry?" Lucas muttered.

"Well you sure took your time!" Barry said and crossed his arms triumphantly, completely ignoring Dawn. "But you still ran to your old friend when called. That's just how slick I am!"

"Eugh, we only came because this city has the library, you know," Dawn told him. "But now that you're here, I still haven't asked you why you decided to impersonate my bodyg-"

"Ah, who cares about that old thing!" Barry said and waved the issue away, eyes still fixed on Lucas. "Come on, we gotta hurry!"

Barry was about to run off, but Dawn and Lucas staid still, Barry jogging in place while turning around to stare at the duo.

"Well come on!" he yelled.

"Um, _where_ do we have to hurry?" Lucas asked carefully.

"To the library! Didn't I tell you already?"

"No," Dawn and Lucas said.

This caused them both to curiously glance at each other. Barry didn't look happy.

"Professor Rowan is here! He must have heard about my amazing exploits and about how _I_ was the one actually doing something with my PokéDex! C'mon, we gotta move!"

The library was one of the largest, most distinguished buildings around, fortunately close to the docks. Considering the rush and the bustling city noises in the city, stepping inside the library was like stepping into another dimension. Even though the library was full of people, it was ominously quiet inside, the sound of the librarian typing on a computer echoing all over the first floor. Even there, there were long rows of bookshelves stacked full of books on every wall and everywhere one looked, much to Dawn's delight.

Barry impatiently led Dawn and Lucas to the third floor, though, where a stern-looking old man was sitting at a table with three other seats, gazing at them with his arms crossed. Lucas instantly felt nervous to be in his presence while Dawn greeted the man excitedly, so Lucas assumed this was professor Rowan.

"It's good to see you," Rowan told Dawn, face stoic and voice grumpy, though Dawn seemed pleased. "Your research has been an immeasurable help. I knew giving you the PokéDex was the right call."

"Excuse me, professor, but I shouldn't you tell them about _my_ breakthroughs, too?" Barry said smugly as he sat next to Rowan. "I mean, that's the reason we're here, right?"

"No," Rowan said sternly.

"Oh."

"Hmph! So you must be Lucas," Rowan grunted, eyes boring at Lucas as the professor crossed his arms intimidatingly. "You obtained a PokéDex and a starter Pokémon dishonestly and you haven't been supplying me with nearly as much data as I would have hoped."

Lucas gulped nervously. Dawn leaned over to whisper something at him.

"He clearly likes you," she hissed as she and Lucas sat down.

"But you have kept Ms. Berlitz company and helped protect her even if that wasn't your job, so I suppose that's something. A pleasure to finally meet you."

"Oh, um, the pleasure's all the mine," Lucas squeaked and avoided looking directly at Rowan. "Really, though, she's been protecting me, really."

"You're damn right," Dawn said proudly.

"Oh, please," Barry groaned. "I went to the Great Marsh and had my shoe eaten by a Carnivine. I had to wear a mismatched pair for, like, _hours_! What can you have possibly gone through that even _compares_ with that tragedy?"

"We fought Team Galactic twice," Dawn deadpanned.

"Only twice?"

Dawn slammed the table and got up. " _Listen_ , you arrogant little-"

"Ahem."

Rowan only had to clear his throat slightly to get Dawn to sit down again, while Barry inched a bit away from the professor, eyes darting at him nervously.

"Dawn, please calm down," Rowan said. "Barry, shut up. Lucas, you have something on your lip."

"Arceus!" Lucas cried and started wiping his mouth. "How long has that been there? Sheesh!"

"But Team Galactic is a reason why I brought you here," Rowan lectured. "I kickstarted your journeys, so I'm expecting a little favor in return. You see, my research involves Pokémon evolution. Through comprehensive analysis, I have been able to prove that over ninety percent of all Pokémon..."

 _Oh, sheesh, has Dawn been able to see that the whole time?_ Lucas thought to himself, not even listening to Rowan go on. _Is that from when I threw up over the edge of that boat? That is_ so _gross! Oh, no, she thinks I'm a slob! I mean, from the way she wrinkled her nose at breakfast this morning, she probably already thought that. Or when I had that snack while waiting for the boat. Or that emergency candy bar while we were coming here. Or when..._

Barry was nodding intently as Rowan spoke, barely listening to a word. _What is that old man rambling about_ , he wondered. _It doesn't sound like he's talking about me. We have to do_ him _a_ favor _?! As if! Does he know who I am? I'm the son of Tower Tycoon Palmer! I don't need this junk! Wonder how dad's doing, though... maybe he'll make me a Frontier Brain if I pay him a visit. Or, you know, maybe he'll finally be there when I visit. Or maybe he'll finally answer him when I call._

Dawn was zoning in and out. _So he knows that I gave the bodyguards a shake_ , she thought. _I really hope he didn't tell my parents. They're gonna freeze my bank account for sure if that happens. I really need it to buy all these books! Oh, but this is a library... well, I don't need much to bribe the librarian. And then I'm gonna get like fifty now and come back for the rest later. I bet Lucas will be happy to carry them. Well, that wouldn't be too nice, I guess. So I'll carry one or two._

"Ahem."

"We were listening!" Dawn, Lucas and Barry said simultaneously.

"Good, because this is where my request comes in," Rowan said. "To get good data on the three legendary Pokémon, I'll need you to visit the three lakes. I'll investigate Lake Verity, as there's something there I have to look into. Barry, you should head east to Lake Valor."

"You know how to call it, gramps!" Barry said and saluted. "You _know_ I'm the hotness."

"...what does that even mean? Anyway, Dawn, Lucas, since you two seem to be quite happy traveling together," (Barry was grumbling something quietly to this), "you should both check out Lake Acuity. It's in the north, near Snowpoint City. Now, just be careful if-"

His words were interrupted by a loud boom coming from the distance.

An earthquake followed immediately after, causing the whole building to shake. The silence in the library was harshly interrupted by screams and the sounds of people going into cover under the tables as books flopped out of the shelves, a shelf or two even falling and nearly crushing people. Rowan, Lucas and Barry ducked under the table, Lucas having to pull Dawn in, too, when she seemed more horrified at what was happening to the books.

A few seconds later, the rumbling and shaking stopped, and everyone climbed out from under their cover, Rowan glancing at everyone in turn.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked gruffly.

"What just happened?!" Barry screamed, a few insistent library-goers still shushing him despite the chaos. "The TV! The news! Something!"

There was a TV nearby that had somehow been unharmed by the earthquake, Rowan switching it on. Predictably, there was already footage showing what seemed to be the epicenter of an explosion, famed reporter Gabby's frenzied voice announcing what was going on:

" _What you've just witnessed is actual footage from the scene_! _Who knows what the explosion could expose at the lake_!"

"Lake Valor!" Rowan exclaimed. "I wonder why there, exactly..."

He shook his head.

"An amazing coincidence," he said with his usual gruffness. "I was just going to warn you – I have also been warned about Team Galactic, and how they've seemed more aggressive as of late. That explosion at Lake Valor could not have occurred naturally. Barry, under the circumstances, I believe we'll have to cancel-"

"Forget that, gramps!" Barry said proudly and glanced at Lucas. "I'm not afraid of those spacesuit creeps! Plus why'd they do anything to the lake now – there must be tons of cops and media there. _And_ , they said something could have been 'exposed' over there... this might be a unique chance to find that... thing... you were talking about! Later!"

Lucas glanced at Dawn, unsure of what 'Pokémon' had been mentioned. Rowan tried to reason with Barry, but before he could utter a syllable, Barry had already bolted down the stairs. Rowan shook his head again.

"Dawn, Lucas, be careful out there," he said. "I need to get to Lake Verity!"

**~o~O~o~**

Two days later, Dawn and Lucas were approaching the Acuity Lakefront. Having switched to their winter gear that Dawn insisted on buying on the way there for maximum warmth and fabulosity, the duo quietly trekked through the snow, Dawn reading a map from her Pokétch while mumbling to herself.

"We should be there in a few minutes," she pondered, "the lake is pretty big, though, so we might have to split up."

"Yes, split up, good," Lucas agreed, not really paying attention. "Um, Dawn, this may be a stupid question-"

"No, go ahead, I'm used to getting those from you," Dawn said innocently.

"Oh, good!" Lucas said obliviously. "Well, um... what are we looking for, exactly?"

Dawn glared at him. "You didn't listen to professor Rowan?"

"...no."

"Me neither, actually," Dawn said and smiled slightly. "But I've studied enough to know what this is about. Three mirage Pokémon are said to live in the lakes of Sinnoh: Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf. Data on them would be priceless – but I doubt we'll find anything. It's not like we're the first people to get this idea."

"Clearly not," Lucas remarked. "Look!"

Lucas pointed to two girls, one with black hair on pigtails and another with very long and thick dark purple hair, were running towards them – literally _them_ , not at something in their general direction.

"Hey..." Dawn said quietly as they get closer. "Isn't that the girl we met in Hearthome City!"

"...May?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "The _other_ one."

"...there was another one?"

Dawn and Lucas stopped as Kris and Iris ran up to them, Kris pointing at Dawn with her PokéDex rudely without even greeting the two.

"I told you!" Kris yelled at Iris. "My PokéDex is definitely _reacting_! And it's reacting to this one right here, just like in Hearthome!"

"Um, Kris, maybe we should talk to them first," Iris mumbled and waved at Lucas and Dawn cheerfully. "Hi! You don't know me, but I'm Iris! I'm from Unova, and I come from-"

"They don't care!" Kris snapped. "Yeah, um, hi again, are you carrying something like this with you by any chance? Iris, show 'em."

Iris opened the package she got from Cynthia and showed its contents to Dawn and Lucas: a smooth, pale blue slightly glowing orb (why were there always orbs?) about the size of a pineapple. At first, Dawn and Lucas just stared at it, then Dawn snapped her fingers and opened the black bag Cynthia had given her. As expected, she was also carrying something with similar color and size, but instead of being round and smooth, it was polygonal. It also glowed ever so slightly.

"Where'd you get that?" Kris and Lucas asked at the same time.

"From the Champion!" Iris and Dawn replied back.

An awkward silence fell between them.

"Can someone explain what exactly is going on here?!" Dawn snapped, holding the glowing polygon away at arm's length as if it was irradiated. "What is this?"

"Well, the person who brought me here can probably explain," Iris said cheerfully. "Hey, here she comes now!"

A red-haired young woman wearing a long, thick winter coat ran up to them, Iris waving at her and holding her orb for her to see.

"We found the other one!" she yelled.

"Excellent!" the woman said, eyes fixed on the orb. "This will help our research immensely! Thank you for contributing to the scientific cause, Ms. Iris!"

Iris tried to hold back a satisfied smile. "Always happy to help," she said modestly. "Can you explain what these are? From what I can gather, they hold extremely large amounts of energy within them."

The woman nodded, still glancing at the orb occasionally as she spoke. "The one you have is the Lustrous Orb. And the one _she_ has," the woman nodded at Dawn, "is the Adamant Orb – a weird name for something of that shape, but whatever..."

"The timespace orbs!" Dawn gasped and became a lot more interested in what she was holding. "I've heard of them, but I really never figured out what they _do_. I thought they were kept in the Celestic Museum, though..."

"Indeed," the red-haired woman said, "I work at the museum, but due to security issues, I haven't been able to investigate them thoroughly. I have to thank Ms. Champion personally for safeguarding these. And thank _you_ for taking care of them for this long. I'll be taking them off your hands now, if you don't mind..."

Iris was about to hand the Lustrous Orb over when Kris grabbed her wrist, frowning at the woman. Dawn looked similarly suspicious and put the Adamant "Orb" back in the bag. The woman raised her eyebrows at Kris.

"I'm grateful that you reunited me with Iris," Kris told her, "but you haven't exactly shown us any identification. I mean, no offense, but if all these people really met Cynthia... yeah, hang on, this is such BS! Why didn't _I_ get to meet her? I've been involved with the LPS longer than any of _you_!"

"You're using drugs?" Lucas asked, but was ignored.

"Um, the point is," Kris said and shook her head, "if Cynthia really asked people to take care of these, I'm _not_ trusting anyone besides her."

Iris yanked her arm away from Kris and glowered at her, looking uncharacteristically pissed.

"You're saying you know better than me?" Iris asked, sounding almost hurt.

"Hey, generally you _always_ know better than me!" Kris said and put her hands up defensively. "But this is the exception. Do _not_ give that thing to her, or I'll get it back through force!"

"What _is_ it with you?!" Iris snapped. "I mean, we meet after weeks of not seeing each other and you barely even smile about it, and now you're acting like you know who's trustworthy better than I do? Ignoring my input again? 'Leave it to _me_!' ' _I'll_ do the talking.' ' _I'll_ lead us to our near-deaths against a criminal gang and an obscenely powerful psychic dragon monster!'."

Kris was _really_ confused now, backing away as Iris yelled at her – did she really have to spring _that_ old thing on her? "No, I just-"

"Sorry, Kris, but I'm deciding this!" Iris said firmly and gave the Lustrous Orb to the red-haired woman. "Here you go."

Kris had to stand watch as the woman took the orb with a scary, almost reverent look on her face. Dawn, however, was less trusting, and clutched the bag close to her and retreated as the woman was about to approach her.

"As I said before, you can trust me," the woman said.

"Cynthia asked me to take care of it – and nothing else," Dawn said. "And if these things really have massive amounts of energy in them... yeah, somehow I don't see myself giving it to the first stranger I see who just asks politely!"

"That's what _I_ tried to say!" Kris said.

The woman, however, just sighed. Holding the Lustrous Orb under her arm, she used her free hand to rip off her winter coat, revealing a black and white spacesuit-like uniform underneath. It was different that most Dawn and Lucas had seen so far, but the familiar yellow 'G' emblem was still clearly visible.

"Team Galactic!" Lucas yelled and pointed while Dawn rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to say something sarcastic at him.

" _Damn it_!" Kris yelled, teeth clenched while Iris' just stared in shock. "So that's them, huh...? That uniform is uglier than I would have thought."

"Oh, it is _on_ now," the red-haired woman sneered. "Really, though, I'll have to thank you for this. You have any idea what we had to do? Crawling in bushes, following you around, dealing with your inane comments – for _weeks_! But enough about _you_ , let's talk about _me_! I'm Mars, one of Team Galactic's Commanders. With this orb," she tapped the Lustrous Orb lovingly, "we are one step closer to fulfilling our dream of a better world."

"I don't _care_!" Kris yelled at her and grabbed Croc's Poké Ball. "It's been a while since my Feraligatr got a taste of human flesh, and the only thing stopping it is because I generally don't want to go to jail. But if I sic it on _you,_ I doubt anyone would c-"

The speech Kris had prepared for the next stupidly-dressed villain she would encounter was interrupted by an incredibly bright flash of light and a deafening explosion coming from the direction of Lake Acuity, followed by the ground shaking even more harshly than back in Canalave. Kris, Iris, Dawn and Lucas dove on the ground instinctively, while Mars stayed still and kept on smirking, as if she had _known_ the explosion would happen.

As soon as the shaking stopped, Dawn opened her eyes and pulled herself up, the first thing she saw being a humongous pillar of smoke coming from Lake Acuity – just like the one on Lake Valor they had seen on TV, though the sheer scope of it was hard to take in when at a close distance.

The others got up too, unharmed, but before anyone could comment on the explosion, a loud rumbling sound interrupted them, and everyone's heads jerked up. A dozen helicopters flew above them and in the direction of Snowpoint City proper, carrying what appeared to be huge statues strapped to the choppers with strong cables. It took four helicopters just to carry one.

Iris gasped at what she saw. On closer inspection, the things the helicopters carried were not statues at all. They were Pokémon, something Iris had only seen illustrations of: the legendary golems, one with a body made of brown rocks, another made of smooth, gray steel and the third of incredibly thick, crystalline blue ice. Regirock, Registeel and Regice.

Before Iris could make further observations, the helicopters disappeared behind the threes, descending towards something in the city. In the confusion, Mars was already about to slip away, running towards the city with the orb in tow, briefly turning around to address the gang:

"If you want this back, you better keep up!" she taunted and dashed towards the city.


	15. Ice, Rock and Steel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Galactic makes their move and the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs are stolen, forcing the group to head to Veilstone City and confront their leader in person.

**Chapter Fifteen: _Ice, Rock and Steel_**

_**Location: Snowpoint City, Sinnoh** _

Kris, Iris, Dawn and Lucas chased Mars through the streets of Snowpoint City, pressing on despite being badly out of breath, feeling splitting pain in their sides and weakened by the cold. Dawn and Lucas were not even sure why they were with the other two, but continued on anyway. Iris was the most insistent on catching Mars, running a few feet ahead of the others determinedly.

No one really gave them a second look as they ran, the town being in panic after Team Galactic's helicopters had arrived. Everyone were focused on either getting out of town or desperately trying to get indoors, though Kris hadn't really figured out why. What was so scary about those golem Pokémon?

Eventually, Mars stopped in front of a big old stone temple that Kris remembered Cheren mentioning: the Snowpoint Temple. Why it had been built was something Kris hadn't really bothered to ask. Team Galactic's helicopters had dropped the three golem Pokémon, Regice, Regirock and Registeel, in front of the temple, but so far, all they did was stand there inertly.

"Whew," Mars said and took a pause to catch her breath. "You really chased me all over town. This must mean a lot to you, huh?"

"I trusted you!" Iris raged at her before Kris could say anything. "Betraying someone's trust... it's the worst thing you could do to a person!"

"I'm pretty sure I could think of worse," Mars commented.

"Shut up!" Iris snapped. "You have one last chance to hand over the Lustrous Orb before me and my Pokémon _tear you apart_ with our own hands until there's nothing left of you but a piece of your ugly uniform with your boss' stupid logo on it!"

Kris was taken aback – that sentence contained a _lot_ of things she would never expect Iris to say. Mars' flightiness faded a bit as she scowled at Iris.

"You'd insult our boss?" Mars hissed. "He had this tailor-made for me, because I'm one of his most trusted lieutenants. He has the utmost confidence in me, and I will _not_ let him down. Purugly!"

Mars sent out a rotund gray and white feline Pokémon that hissed at Iris as soon as it was out. Iris responded by sending out her Fraxure, who didn't seem to like being out in the cold.

Kris didn't think Iris would have much difficulty, so she stayed out of the battle for now. But Purugly was fast, using Fake Out at Mars' command by whacking its front paws together to create a shock wave that caused Fraxure to flinch. Then it attacked with Slash, the two Pokémon eventually locked in a match of trying to slash their opponent while simultaneously dodging.

While Iris and Mars were busy battling, Kris turned to Dawn and Lucas, who were nervously observing from a distance.

"The Adamant Orb," Kris told Dawn.

Dawn looked puzzled. "Um, yes? I have it. What of it?"

"Look, I know we don't really know each other and all, but I think you can tell I'm not with them," Kris explained. "That's why you can trust me. Give it to me!"

Dawn held the bag close to herself again, just like when Mars had asked for it.

"Cynthia asked us to take care of it," Dawn said again. "I can't-"

"How long have you been trainers?" Kris interrupted.

Dawn glanced at Lucas, who just shrugged. "Well... a few weeks, I think. Almost a month."

Kris snorted. "Well _I've_ been training, battling and adventuring for nearly a year. You may not believe it, but I've gotten through scrapes you couldn't even imagine. Yeah, you probably haven't heard of the stuff I've accomplished, but all that..." Kris paused, a mad glint in her eye. "...is about to change today! Just give me the orb! No offense, but I can protect it better than you can!"

Behind Kris, Iris ordered Fraxure to use Dual Chop, but the slippery Purugly dodged and countered with Body Slam, pinning the dragon-type to the ground with its entire weight.

"Fraxure, c'mon, break free," Iris muttered to herself. "Please evolve... why won't you evolve already?"

Lucas, who bit his lip while watching Dawn and Mars' battle, decided to chime in when Dawn couldn't decide.

"We can trust her," Lucas told Dawn. "She knows May and Brendan, after all."

Selfish as it was, Kris was a little upset that May and Brendan hadn't told Dawn and Lucas about Kris' amazing exploits, but decided not to comment on that.

"And she's right, you've fought Team Galactic before, but I think it's better to trust someone with more experience," Lucas continued.

Dawn clearly didn't want to, but she had little time to think up a plan of her own. Reluctantly, she handed the Adamant Orb to Kris.

"Thank you," Kris told Dawn. "Now, you two get out of here. I don't want anyone to get hurt over this."

Dawn looked upset, but as Lucas started dragging her, she finally left and ran away with him. At the same time, Purugly blasted Fraxure with Shadow Ball, finally knocking the dragon-type out. Instead of sending out a next one, Iris rushed over to her wounded and beaten Pokémon, dragging it to safety, leaving it to Kris to finish what she started.

"Froslass, you're up!"

Kris sent out her ice-type, who immediately started playing in the snow cheerfully after being let out, but quickly stopped when she was almost hit by a Shadow Ball from Mars' Purugly.

"Go up as high as you can, Froslass!" Kris ordered.

Froslass sensed the severity of the situation and floated up, beyond the reach of Purugly's physical attacks. She would still have to watch out for Shadow Ball – Kris knew that Froslass didn't last long under super-effective attacks.

"Now use Spikes!" Kris yelled.

Froslass scattered the entire area around Purugly with sharp, purple spikes that sank into the ground. Purugly looked distraught at almost being pricked by them and couldn't move anywhere.

"Be careful, Purugly!" Mars yelled, sounding almost concerned to Kris. "Don't move! Just aim carefully and use Shadow Ball!"

Just what Kris had counted on.

"Hail!" she ordered.

Froslass glowed and summoned a bunch of clouds that appeared over the battlefield. Froslass herself disappeared into the thick fog that appeared, rendering Purugly unable to attack. Next, snow started falling from the cloud, followed by large balls of hail, many hitting and hurting Purugly. Seeing her Pokémon getting pelted by hail made Mars even more angry than insulting her boss' sense of style – Kris could swear she saw a vein bulging on Mars' forehead.

"Purugly, return!" Mars yelled and grabbed her Poké Ball.

"Block!" Kris yelled quickly.

Froslass was faster, and her next move rendered Mars' Poké Ball unable to return Purugly. Mars' eyes widened as nothing seemed to happen, and she tried to rush to save Purugly herself, only to end up stepping on one of the spikes. Yelling in pain, Mars fell down on the snow while Kris looked on remorselessly. Iris, who was watching while giving medicine to her Fraxure, seemed to almost feel bad for Mars, but didn't say anything.

"I would have never used that technique in a real match," Kris taunted, looking down on Mars while she was shaking in rage, forced to watch her Purugly get struck by the hail repeatedly, "but you've made it pretty clear that there are no rules anymore. I bet you never expected to face someone as sneaky as you, though."

"Damn it!" Mars grunted. "Don't you feel anything at all, seeing a Pokémon get hurt like this?!"

Kris glanced at Purugly and shrugged. "I can make it stop," she said and held her hand open. "Just toss me the Lustrous Orb back and we're good."

Mars glanced at the orb she was holding, then looked at Purugly, who lost its balance after a particularly big ball of hail struck it in the back. Kris knew she had this in the bag – she would just have to motivate Mars a bit more. She held the Adamant "Orb" for her to see.

"If you really don't mind seeing your Pokémon get tortured by this, at least tell me what you want with these," Kris said, and with a smile, added: "I mean, you were clearly desperate to get these, based on the suckiness of your plan. Pro-tip: when you're leading your enemies into a trap, it's a good idea to spring the damn trap!"

Mars suddenly stopped scowling at Kris, her expression turning into a triumphant smile. Kris realized she had probably jinxed it now.

Indeed, the whole area was suddenly covered in thick black smoke. Covering her mouth and closing her eyes, Kris was helpless when something fast suddenly grabbed the Adamant Orb from her. It blazed through the spike-covered battlefield with the orb in its mouth, nimbly avoiding the spikes as it dragged Purugly away from harm.

"Froslass, get rid of this smoke!" Kris ordered. "Use Ominous Wind!"

"Skuntank, Night Slash!" an unfamiliar voice yelled.

As the smoke was starting to clear, Kris had to watch a particularly foul-smelling Pokémon with purple, shaggy fur and a long tail jump up at Froslass, who had to come out of hiding to attack. The Skuntank's attack knocked Froslass out and forced Kris to withdraw it.

"Well, Mars, _now_ are you happy that I decided to accompany you on this one?" the unfamiliar voice said.

As the smoke cleared, Mars and her Purugly were joined by another woman in Team Galactic gear. She had purple hair and was both taller and more imposing-looking than Mars. Skuntank walked over to the purple-haired woman, giving the Adamant Orb to her while Mars sprayed Potion on her Purugly.

"Thanks, Jupiter," Mars said grudgingly. "I had it under control, though..."

"I'm sure you did" Jupiter smiled. "Thanks for letting us have the orb, by the way!" she yelled at Kris. "Was that seriously the only Pokémon you had?"

Kris clenched her teeth, but didn't let her anger show. _It's just a Skuntank_ , she thought. _I have a lot more powerhouses in store for them, and they'll defeat them both in a blink of an eye._

"Snorlax, go!"

Mars and Jupiter glanced each other, smirking as the huge, bipedal ursine Pokémon appeared, letting out a deep grunt and scratching its belly as it did so. Kris had dedicated most of her time training this Pokémon alone, and now she'd see if it'd pay off. She didn't even falter when Jupiter and Mars snickered at her choice.

"You sure you want to go down that road?" Jupiter mocked Kris. "Snorlax may be big, but our Pokémon can move faster than yours can put two brain cells together. At least send out another Pokémon or something – I want to be challenged."

"Nope," Kris smirked. "This is all I need. Snorlax, use Earthquake – the way we practiced."

Kris ducked, knowing what was about to come. Iris, who was still watching the battle, did likewise, even if she didn't know what to expect. And Jupiter and Mars' smirks were wiped off their faces as Snorlax crouched and launched itself into the air, tucked its legs and landed with all its weight, sending a shock wave directly towards the Galactic Commanders and their Pokémon – it was able to control the direction of its attack, just as Kris had taught it to.

Jupiter, Mars and their Pokémon were swept off their feet, Mars ordering Purugly to get up and use Slash while Jupiter told Skuntank to hang back and use Flamethrower. But at Kris' order, Snorlax swatted Purugly away and merely stood still, absorbing Skuntank's fire like it was a brick wall.

"Now, Whirlwind!" Kris commanded.

Snorlax inhaled deeply, filling its massive lungs with as much air as it could before blasting it at the Galactic Commanders with all its might. Jupiter, Mars, Skuntank and Purugly were thrown against the walls of Snowpoint Temple while the attack also cleared the battlefield of the spikes. Snorlax flexed its muscles like a professional athlete – something quite uncharacteristic for its species – while Kris applauded.

"Bravo!" she told it. "Now you can rest. You've earned a feast after this."

Kris then walked towards the defeated Commanders and their unconscious Pokémon, hand on Chandelure's Poké Ball just in case. Jupiter, too weak to get up, raised her head to scowl at Kris.

" _How_?!" she grunted. "Snorlax aren't supposed to be able to move like that. What kind of drugs did you use?"

"A lot of protein, zinc and indometacin, but most of it came with the food I fed it," Kris admitted. "Really, though, I gotta hand it to professor Elm. I knew he wouldn't give me a typical Munchlax – this one can _move_. With the right of amount of training, focusing on its strength but also working around its weaknesses, everything is possible."

Kris glanced at Snorlax, who was looking more like a usual member of its species now that it collapsed on its back, allowing Iris to scratch it as thanks.

"Of course, I had to teach it moves I wouldn't usually use to make sure I'd surprise my enemies," Kris continued. "And I _do_ have a lot of them. With Thick Fat, it can fight even in this cold environment with no difficulties – that also explained why your Flamethrower had about as much effect as poking it with a light bulb. Of course, it still eats and sleeps for most of the day, but by promising it that it only has to fight and train on rare occasions, two hours a day at max, with a fancy meal waiting for it as a reward, I could work around that, too. I almost went broke with all the food and vitamins I had to buy, but I'd say it was well worth it."

Kris dared to take a few more steps towards Jupiter and Mars and crouched next to them.

"So," she told them as condescendingly as she could, "I'd like to have the orbs back, please."

Jupiter stared back at Kris without saying a word while Mars trembled with rage and hissed at her... until Jupiter's Pokétch beeped. Jupiter glanced at it, and a wide grin appeared on her face.

"You're going to have to try a _bit_ harder to get them," Jupiter groaned and started dragging herself up.

Before Kris could react, she was blinded by a sudden burst of light and thrown on the ground. A Hyper Beam attack tore through the walls of Snowpoint Temple, bringing a big chunk of the wall crashing down.

Something then emerged from the temple, entering the city through the huge hole in the wall. It was literally so big it had to crouch to get through the opening, When it stood at its full height, the white, faceless golem Pokémon stood at over thirty feet, or ten meters, in height. Even if Kris had seen something even bigger than that before, she hadn't been this close to it, nor had she ever felt like going up against a thing that could crush her in its long, bizzarrely human-like fingers or just stomp on her like she was nothing but a dry leaf.

The massive Pokémon had black dots for what Kris assumed to be "eyes" just like the three smaller golems, and had three yellow bands on its upper body, two on its "shoulders" and one in the middle – Kris assumed that to be its "head". Red, blue and silver gemstones were placed on both sides of its "head", all of them flashing in multiple colors. The Pokémon had moss growing on its arms and legs, as if it had slept in the temple for years.

_Huh. Why WAS that thing there?_

Jupiter had pulled herself up and helped Mars stand as well, the two withdrawing their Pokémon. Jupiter turned to sneer at Kris.

"Scared?" she asked. "I'm not surprised. This is Regigigas, the most powerful of the golems. It is said to be the Pokémon that shaped the continents and created the other three, most likely as a safeguard should it ever be imprisoned by humans or other creatures. No surprise, humans caught wind of this and soiled themselves at the thought of all that power. Old Reggie was locked in the temple and the others were scattered all around the region to prevent it from ever awakening. Oh, wow, it really _is_ pissed."

Its black eyes had turned red as Regigigas started stomping its way towards the city, either ignoring or not even noticing Kris and the others. Kris could hear screams erupting from the city as Regigigas crushed trees and bent lampposts, taking massive steps. Kris was beginning to understand what the people had been so afraid of.

Mars, surprisingly enough, seemed to be as afraid as Kris, tugging Jupiter's arm frantically as she stared at Regigigas.

"H-hey!" she stuttered. "Jupiter! C-can't we control that thing? It's going berserk!"

"Control?" Jupiter said mockingly. "Didn't those idiots in Hoenn teach you anything?"

"B-but... the city! I mean, it's going to destroy everything! Kill everyone!"

Jupiter pulled Mars closer to herself so Kris wouldn't hear what she said next. "I really doubt that," she muttered and showed Mars some readings of Regigigas she had taken with her Pokétch. "Look."

Mars' fears seemed to be slightly reduced, but she still shivered as she watched Regigigas' back as the creature tore its way into the city, kicking parked cars out of its way.

Kris had ignored Jupiter and Mars and had scuttled back to Iris and Snorlax, but before she could tell Snorlax to get up from its massive behind and start being awesome again, something else erupted from the Snowpoint Temple: over a dozen Team Galactic Grunts, along with plenty of Golbat and Bronzor, many grunts wielding futuristic-looking energy weapons to match their space theme. Kris and Iris were quickly surrounded by the grunts, Jupiter and Mars coming over to gloat.

Jupiter nodded in Snorlax's direction, and Kris got the hint , withdrawing it – there wasn't much even Snorlax could do against such overwhelming odds.

"I'm sorry," Iris said quietly, falling on her knees in the snow, her voice filled with so much despair that it alarmed Kris. "This is all my fault! I'm an idiot for trusting her!"

Unsure of what to do, Kris put her hand on the shorter girl's shoulder.

"No," she said. "You can't take all the blame. I was being way too confident for my own good. I let them steal the other orb. And the way I was treating her Purugly..." Kris paused to sigh. "...I may as well have given it to them. Besides, if you hadn't trusted her... well, you wouldn't be you. I guess that wound kinda suck. Maybe."

Iris turned to Kris, smiling sadly in a way that almost broke Kris' heart.

"So..." she said. "I guess this is, uh, what do you call it?"

"It?"

"Yeah. 'It'. Whatever that means, that's what this is."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Mars yelled, interrupting Kris and Iris' moment. "You think we're about to kill you or something? What's wrong with you?!"

"Well, you _did_ just unleash a giant rampaging monster to the world, so I doubt you care too much about casualties," Kris deadpanned.

"We're honorable people," Jupiter said calmly. "Though I do feel a bit violent after what you did to Mars and her Purugly... well, orders are orders. The promised day is only hours away, and when it's upon us, all will be better, I guess. Whatever the boss is up to."

"He _knows_ what he's doing," Mars said firmly, shooting a glare at Jupiter. "We only need you to stop getting in our way until the promised day is over – then you can do what you please."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Jupiter said. "You, peons, capture 'em!"

Kris grabbed a hold of Iris, frowning at Jupiter and Mars as a few Galactic Grunts slowly approached the two, weapons pointed at them.

 _The promised day_... Kris wasn't sure what that meant. Whatever it was, she would stop it. And _then_ she'd be the one everybody celebrated. She couldn't be thrown in some cold, dirty cell now while Team Galactic had their way – she wouldn't be able to see the look on Lyra's smug face!

Distant rumbling and what seeme to be thunderous footsteps cut off her thoughts. The Galactic Grunts stopped creeping on Kris and Iris and turned towards something that was coming, Jupiter and Mars also startled by it.

Cheren's SUV was speeding towards them, and following the car was a Mamoswine that Dawn was riding. Kris and Iris ducked as Mamoswine used Blizzard, the cold wind sweeping half the Galactic Grunts and their Pokémon away while the others had to dodge as the SUV pulled over expertly right next to Kris and Iris. The back door was opened, and Cheren and Lucas appeared to pull the two in.

Dawn hopped off Mamoswine's back and let Mamoswine toss a few more grunts and some Golbat away with its tusks, giving cover for Dawn to get into the car as well. Closing the door, Dawn withdrew Mamoswine through the window while the SUV drove away. Whoever was driving was _damn_ good at their job.

It took Kris a while to level her breathing and heartbeat, eyes fixed on Cheren, who was sitting calmly in the middle, all five of them fitting on the backseat perfectly. Iris, who was sitting next to Kris, poked her head out of the window and watched as Snowpoint Temple was quickly left behind them.

"You..." Kris panted. "I thought you left...?"

"I had business here," Cheren explained predictably, "but as soon as I heard about Team Galactic's arrival... well, I was reminded of our lovely conversation a while back. I knew I'd find you where the action was."

"And totally failing," Kris sighed. "Sorry, Cheren, but as much as I'd like to, I don't think I can take your offer. Team Galactic got what they were after."

"I wonder..." Cheren mused.

Everyone turned to look at him. With all the attention, Cheren looked even more confident as he pushed his glasses up and started lecturing.

"Well, look at it this way," he said. "All the effort to recruit people into their gang, to embezzle money from Sird's company, to attempt to steal power... of course, they'd need all that to bring the three golems to Snowpoint City, but could that really be the extent of their plans? Is their 'better world' going to be something they'll build on the rubble that is born out of Regigigas' destruction? And what about the explosions at the lakes?"

Cheren turned to look at Lucas expectantly, folding his arms. Lucas stared back for a while, then slapped his forehead and showed his PokéDex to everyone.

"Oh, right!" he said. "Well, after we left to find help for you guys, Barry sent us a message. I was worried since he hadn't responded for days, but now he says he's found something about Team Galactic. He's at the Great Marsh."

"Yeah, where we just _were_ not too long ago," Dawn scoffed. "Does he get off on sending us running around the region?"

"You mean to say," Kris told Cheren, "that there's still something I can do?"

"There's always something people can do," Cheren assured. "Pastoria City is literally on the other side of the region, and we really have no time to waste. Once we get to Eterna City, I can arrange you all something that you can use to get there in style."

As the SUV disappeared from sight, Jupiter and Mars went to counting their losses. A few Grunts had been injured, but nothing too major. Nothing that could impede them from carrying out the work of their glorious leader.

"Damn it!" Mars snapped. "The boss is going to be-"

"He can be whatever he wants, but I'm not getting lashed out at for this one," Jupiter said calmly. "We don't have to tell him anything. After all, Saturn has already ensured that they'll stay out of our way."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Great Marsh, north of Pastoria City, Sinnoh** _

_**A while later...** _

Getting to the Great Marsh "in style" meant Cheren had prepared an honest-to-goodness helicopter ride for Kris, Iris, Dawn and Lucas, allowing them to get from Eterna to Pastoria in no time at all. Cheren himself wasn't coming – not that Kris could really demand him to, after he had just saved them and everything. The Great Marsh had been closed for the day already, so there weren't any Pokémon trainers or workers about and even the amount of Pokémon crawling around seemed to be smaller.

"Did I mention how I _don't_ like the Sinnoh region?!" Kris complained as she got stuck on the mud for the fifth time.

"Oh, man," Lucas complained. "I didn't think I'd actually have to come back here. Why would Barry be here, of all places?"

"Stop complaining!" Dawn snapped. "You should take after your Unovan friend, Kris! _She's_ not one to let some wet ground stop her."

Iris was indeed walking ahead, using her PokéDex map to find the spot Barry mentioned in his message. She hadn't talked nearly as much as usual, determined to see their mission through. The mud didn't seem to bother her at all.

"Instead of wasting your commoner breath to whinge and cry about the situation," Dawn said, "how about filling us in about the one who's supposed to be behind this all? Cheren said it was Cyrus..."

"Yeah, that's what he told me," Kris grunted as she struggled to move forward, falling behind from the others.

"That's so hard to believe!" Lucas said. "He _made_ Sinnoh what it is. And in such a short amount of time, too."

"He helped us out, too," Iris commented from ahead.

"What's that?!" Kris yelled, trying to catch up with her.

"I talked with Elm after coming to Sinnoh," Iris explained. "Apparently the technology to detect psychic energy on a region-wide scale didn't come from Dr. Blaine. It came from Galaxy Incorporated and was donated to him. And Cyrus personally also arranged Leaf and Silver to come here."

Kris frowned at that piece of news, but before she got to contemplate it more, Iris stopped and pointed at something.

"Dawn! Lucas!" she yelled. "Is that him?"

The group had walked to the edge of the Great Marsh. Standing between some trees and looking uncomfortably bothered, a boy with pointy blonde hair stood waving at the group.

"Barry!" Lucas shouted gleefully and tried to run to hug his friend.

"Lucas, no, stop!" Barry yelled suddenly, Lucas doing just so, the others also stopping behind him. Barry seemed outright surprised that the group was there. "Well, thanks for coming, I guess, but, um... the Great Marsh, uh, really isn't safe this time of year... maybe you should turn back," he added and tried to wink at Lucas.

Lucas didn't catch any hints, just frowned.

"Are you okay, Barry?" he asked. "You don't sound like yourself."

"Uh, yeah, probably a disease," Barry said, wiping some sweat off his brow. "Very contagious! You don't wanna come near me! It was good to see you, and, uh, those other two as well, whoever they are, but now, please, just get out."

"No way!" Dawn snapped and pushed past Lucas. "Do you have any idea how far we had to travel just because of your stupid message?! Ugh, I'm done yelling at you! We're coming there and then you'll explain what happened to you at Lake Valor!"

Despite Barry's protests, both Dawn and Lucas took a step forward, Kris and Iris following suit.

The moment Dawn stepped off the mud and on solid ground, her foot hit a wire hidden by leaves. In one fell swoop, Kris, Iris, Dawn, Lucas and Barry were all trapped inside a large net made of some kind of plastic-feeling material - it felt like being trapped in a huge, transparent plastic bag. Next, Team Galactic grunts emerged from the bushes, the trees, some even hiding in the mud, many of them pulling from wires and fastening the net, lifting it until it was eight feet above the ground, hanging precariously over the mud, the group bunched together awkwardly.

A Galactic Commander, easily identified thanks to a slightly different (if still tacky) uniform and hairstyle, also emerged, this one with dark blue hair, smirking and observing the scene with his hands on his hips, accompanied by a Toxicroak who mimicked his actions.

"Saturn!" Dawn snapped. "How many times do we have to humiliate you to make you learn?!"

" _Commander_ Saturn!" the Commander yelled back and pointed at the net, his Toxicroak repeating the gesture. "I'll say it frank: the boss wants you-"

"Out of the way until the promised day is over, yeah, we get it," Kris grumbled. "How about telling us what it _is_?!"

"Yeah, don't leave us hangin'!" Lucas said cheekily, but was slapped in the face by Dawn for that. "Ow!"

Saturn scoffed. "You merely have to wait another... hmm, I'll give it twelve hours or so. I'm sure everyone in Sinnoh will know soon enough – and after that, the world. It will be shaped in the image that we, Team Galactic, see fit!"

"I've been meaning to ask," Iris said, "do you even know what it means? I mean, none of you seem to be offering anything solid. If I were a cheesy villain, I'd gloat about how ingenious my plans are as much as I could."

"Who are you calling cheesy?!" Saturn protested, dodging the actual question.

"Yeah, I'm with hedgehair," grunted Barry, who was squished between Kris and Lucas. "This is pretty disappointing! You told me you'd spring a trap for my friends, but I didn't think it would be a _net_! A _net_! What is this, Proteam Omega?!"

"I love that show!" Kris and Lucas protested in unison.

"Proteam Omega Junior High, then," Barry amended. "Your plan sucked at any rate! You, frizzy one, there's a knife in my pocket! Grab it and get us out of here!"

"Gee, I've only been traveling and researching for days straight, wandering from one town to another, I haven't really had a chance to brush my hair and adjust my frickin' make-up," Kris grumbled, but did as Barry asked.

Kris had to bend her arm in a weird angle to get the knife and reach the edge of the net, but when she did so, she stabbed it as hard as she could – but it felt like hitting extremely hard rubber, the knife just bouncing back. Saturn and the Grunts laughed coldly.

"Our boss is a genius, after all!" Saturn said. "Part of the material for this net is the same stuff they make our uniforms of – this net extremely elastic while also being stronger than Kevlar!"

"Big deal," Kris mocked. "All our Pokémon combined could probably level a city block if we felt like it – even your little plastic bag mix will be ripped apart in seconds with that."

"Perhaps," Saturn said with a nod. "But I should point out that the material can also withstand over a metric ton of weight. You'd have to let _quite_ a lot of Pokémon out to even make a tiny tear."

"And if we do that, we'll be crushed under their weight," Dawn guessed.

Saturn tapped his nose. "We really have to get going," he said with a self-satisfied smile. "But enjoy the sights. I'm sure the warden will be here in the morning to cut the cables, and then you'll see a glimpse of our beautiful new world. Perhaps you'll finally understand why it was pointless to defy us in the first place. Oh, we left some air holes for you, but I would still think about conserving oxygen – you don't want to pass out and miss a chance to see the big show we've prepared! C'mon, worthless peons!"

The Grunts happily followed the Commander away from the Great Marsh. Kris and company were left hanging in the net in uncomfortable positions, Iris being flattened against the side of the net while Dawn got her face full of Iris' hair. An awkward silence ensued.

"Oh, by the way, I haven't made the introductions yet!" Lucas suddenly said, sounding like they were all having lunch together or something. "Barry, these two are Iris and Kris."

Kris and Barry grumbled some vague greetings at each other while Iris struggled to get some more space for herself.

"Aw, cheer up, everyone!" Lucas continued obnoxiously. "At least we're all okay, and we'll be freed in the morning!"

Everyone groaned at Lucas to stop while Dawn tried to slap him again, but couldn't reach.

"Even _I'm_ not that annoying," Iris commented. "Though I gotta agree, all things considered, we got off pretty easy. I mean, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn... none of them seemed to be even trying to physically harm us. Sure, we lost the orbs, but as soon as we get out, we just have to contact Cynthia."

"I don't care how nice you think they are, I'm still kicking the snot out of all of them," Kris groaned.

"Hey, Barry," Lucas said. "What happened at Lake Valor anyway?"

"Team Galactic used a bomb to essentially dry the lake," Barry said quietly. "It was a pretty terrifying sight. All those Magikarp just flopping about helplessly, trying to get to what little puddles of water were left... and the lake guardian there... I saw them do something to it."

"What 'something'?" Dawn asked impatiently.

"Gee, that was the main thing I wanted to know when the lake was swarming with Galactic Grunts and looking like an apocalyptic hellhole!" Barry snarled. "I didn't stay to find out. But... that guy Saturn recognized me somehow. They captured me and, well, kinda used me as bait, as you can see. Man, Lucas, why did you have to come here?!"

"Huh?" Lucas wondered. "You asked our help..."

"They _forced_ me to write that, you dunce!" Barry ranted, spit flying in Kris' hair as he spoke. "It was _so_ _obvious_ that the message wasn't from me!"

"How were we supposed to know? It just said 'I found out something about Team Galactic. Get to the Great Marsh, please'."

"Exactly! ' _Please_ '! I never say that! I don't _ask_ – I _know_ what's up!"

"My hair is dirty as it is, so will you please shut up?!" Kris snapped. "We have to get out of this thing! We can't get Poké Balls out and it's probably not a good idea to let anything big out in here, _but..._ "

Kris struggled to reach her belt without accidentally touching some inappropriately, opening up Shrew's Poké Ball. The little ground-type hadn't done much in a long time and was happy to get out, though clearly confused about the situation – and why it was standing on Lucas' back.

"That tickles!" Lucas laughed. "Aww, a Sandshrew! I haven't seen one in Sinnoh yet! Cool!"

"Where?!" Dawn asked and tried to turn to see it. "I need to get some data on it!"

"Shrew," Kris said. "Can you break us out of here?"

Shrew saluted Kris in a way that caused Lucas to squee, extended its claws and slashed the wall of the net they were in.

It did nothing.

"Worth a shot," Kris figured. "Maybe you should use..."

"Divine Dialga!" Barry exclaimed suddenly. "Palkia's Pantyhose! Holy Arceus on a-"

"What is it?!" Kris snapped.

"And stop blaspheming, Barry," Lucas pointed out.

"Pokémon!" Barry blabbered quickly. "Pokémon coming our way!"

Three green plant-like Pokémon emerged from the mud, all of them with big mouths full of sharp teeth and somewhat vacant expressions. They rose from the mud and seemed to be able to float in the air as they tried to bite the net, one using its vine-like limbs to whack the net, causing it to swerve around.

"Carnivine!" Dawn panicked. "It lures its prey in using its sweet-smelling saliva, then gulps them down whole, spending a whole day digesting its food!"

"Oh, no," Kris deadpanned. "I had a dentist's appointment tomorrow..."

"Hold on, I think I found a way to get us out!" Iris said suddenly. "Shrew knows Poison Sting, right? Maybe that'll break this stuff!"

"Brilliant!" Kris praised. "Shrew, Poison Sting!"

"Um, Kris?" Dawn said.

Shrew excitedly jabbed the side of the net with the tip of its claw, letting some purple, acidic compound leak into the part it stabbed. As Iris had predicted, the poison ate its way through the material, and eventually there was a very small hole at the side of the net.

However, Shrew's excitement waned as one Carnivine whacked the hole with its whip, making it larger. Shrew squealed in terror and hid under Kris' jacket. Kris sighed – even with all that it had faced, Shrew could only gather enough adrenaline to get going on very specific moments.

"I was going to say," Dawn said quietly, "that your idea was good, Iris, but perhaps we should have waited until the Carnivine went away...?"

Iris gulped. "Well, I was more focused on getting out. Um, whoops?"

"We don't have time!" Kris snapped. "As soon as that hole is big enough for me to stick my hand through it, I'll just bring out Chandelure, and those Carnivine will pray that they've never left their eggs!"

"Unless they eat your hand before that," Barry commented.

Kris honestly wasn't sure what to add to that – she was more focused on trying to imagine what it would feel like. Looking at the teeth the Carnivine packed, Kris realized that if one of them grabbed a hold of her hand, the only thing Kris could do was hope that they were sharp enough to cut cleanly. So it would either hurt a lot or hurt a _whole_ lot.

Kris wished she would have had the common sense to use a bathroom back in Eterna City.

"Um..." she said as the Carnivine were now whipping the net all over. "Any ideas?"

One Carnivine floated to the level the net was, making direct eye contact with Kris, ready to chomp on the hole Shrew created and tear the net apart.

But before it could do that, something fast and blue emerged from the shadows, knocking the Carnivine out in one blow and letting it fall back into the mud. The other Carnivine focused on trying to identify the attacker, but were too slow for it. One by one, they went down, and Kris recognized the purple glow that the attacker emitted: it was using Poison Jab.

When all the Carnivine were dealt with, the Pokémon who had saved them stopped to look at the group. More specifically, it was looking at Lucas. It was a small Pokémon, only a bit bigger than Shrew. It was mostly dark blue with yellow eyes and had orange pouches on its cheeks, the tips of its hands and legs being black.

"Croagunk!" Lucas gasped. "Are you... the one from before?"

Croagunk replied by using Poison Jab again, tearing the net open with one clean swipe. Everyone dropped into the mud, soaking their clothes and bags in the foul-smelling grime, but were just too relieved of getting out to care. The first thing Lucas did was to stare at their savior.

"Thank you!" he told it. "I didn't expect any favors when I helped you before, but I'm _really_ glad you returned it anyway. Would you..." Lucas crouched next to it and held an empty Poké Ball in his hand. "...like to join me? I'm guessing we'll be getting involved in something serious soon, and we could really use a Pokémon like you. But it might be dangerous, too. The choice is yours."

Lucas and Croagunk stared at each other for a while before Croagunk eventually tapped the Poké Ball Lucas was offering and essentially captured itself – just like Kris had seen Snorunt do.

"All right!" Lucas cheered and held the Poké Ball up high like a little kid. "A new friend!"

Dawn shook her head. "I don't like admitting that I'm wrong... but I'm just too happy to really mind. Nice one, Lucas."

Lucas smiled modestly, while Barry just snorted dismissively as he was wiping mud off his face.

" _That's_ your approach to Pokémon?" he said derisively. "No wonder you're never getting to the same level with me. Even Miss Snooty here is way above you."

Lucas didn't mind, he just looked at his Poké Ball affectionately. Kris didn't care to indulge herself in anymore drama as she tried to get her most of the mud off her clothes, but was grateful to Lucas and the Croagunk nonetheless.

"All right, new plan," she said as she started wiping Shrew, whose face was almost entirely caked in mud. "What do we know? Our target is Team Galactic. They're led by Cyrus."

"Yeah, the grunts who brought me here mentioned his name like a hundred times," Barry said. "Not the sharpest bulbs in the harbor, I tell you that."

"Cyrus' main office is in Veilstone City," Dawn said. "That Cheren guy said that Candice and her gym trainers have Snowpoint City under control, but I doubt they stopped that monster. Meaning it's probably on its way south right now. I don't know about you, but I'm a _bit_ worried about my family."

"The only way we can protect them is that if we do something now," Lucas said. "I'm sure that monster hasn't even reached Mt. Coronet yet. There's not much we can do against _that_ but at least we _can_ check out Veilstone." He turned to look at Barry. "You comin' with us?"

Barry scoffed. "I don't see what _you_ can do against Team Galactic," he grumbled cynically. "But I guess you stand a better chance with me around, so whatever."

"Veilstone City it is, then," Kris said and grabbed Shrew on her arms. "Let's get going!"

The five of them hurried away from the Great Marsh, on the lookout for more hungry Pokémon. If Kris remembered right, Veilstone was to the northeast from Hearthome – exactly the direction Hilda had went when they last spoke. Much as it surprised even herself, Kris hoped Hilda was okay.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: An all-night diner, Canalave City, Sinnoh** _

Everyone, from the diner's customers to the staff to the owner and even the janitor had their eyes glued to the small TV hanging from the ceiling. Every channel was showing nothing but news and the atmosphere was tense and quiet. The footage of Regigigas stomping its way through Snowpoint City, leaving many buildings in ruin, felt like something out of a movie. A few more jittery customers had already hid under the table, as if that would shield them from Regigigas.

" _..._ _according to our news chopper, the monster, 'Regigigas', has_ _passed Celestic Town. The small town near Mt. Coronet had been evacuated, but it seems the citizens can return to their untouched homes soon enough. The monster appears to be headed directly towards Veilstone City. Veilstone is currently in the process of being evacuated, but of a population of about forty thousand, less than fifteen thousand have left the city so far."_

" _The Elite Four have gathered at specific junction points around east Sinnoh and are preparing to do their best to stop the monster. It should be noted that Snowpoint City's gym leader Candice and her gym trainers tried and failed to contain_ _its power._ _There_ _has_ _been_ _no word about what champion Cynthia is about to do..._ "

"No human being can stop that thing, not even the champion!" the diner's owner remarked cynically. "We should bring backup from Johto or something! Or call the damn Holon Security Force!"

"Hey, are you doubting Cynthia?!" a customer yelled at the owner. "You have any idea what she's done for this region? We should be supportive of her!"

"Who cares what the Pokémon League is going to do!" a panicky customer shouted. "We should get out of here! It won't be long until that thing is here!"

"Oh, right, it took hours for it to get to Celestic from Snowpoint, stop panicking!" the customer's friend said. "We should wait until official orders to evacuate!"

The only one who didn't seem to be affected by the news at all was a man drinking tea by the counter. He was a tall young man with long, tea green hair who dressed to look younger than he really was, the image perfected by his black cap.

"This was delicious," he told the clerk behind the counter quietly and courteously. "Could I get a refill, please?"

The clerk filled the man's cup while eying him suspiciously.

"You seem pretty calm about this, tourist," he remarked. "You see a lot of stuff like this in Unova?"

"Nothing like that," the man laughed, "although I hear that an average day at the Battle Subway is quite close. Either way, I've heard a lot of good things about this region's Champion. I'm positive that she will lead us through this."

The man's calmness seemed to reassure the clerk, and he ignored his other customers to talk more. "Why are you out here in the first place?"

"I wanted to visit the famous Canalave Library," the man said politely. "I hear it has the most expansive collection of texts on myths and legends in the country."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Veilstone City, Sinnoh** _

_**A few hours later...** _

Riding on Dawn's Mamoswine and Lucas' Grotle, Kris' group reached Veilstone City sooner than expected. Still, it was dark outside at that point and the scene that awaited them was like from a doomsday movie. They had anticipated that, of course: riding their Pokémon at the side of the main route, they must have seen a hundred cars and a thousand large, riddable Pokémon pass them by, all moving _away_ from Veilstone – which didn't instill any confidence in their plan.

By the time they got to the city, the two Pokémon being exhausted to a breaking point and unfit for battle, they were still shocked: the streets were entirely deserted, littered with stuff people had dropped in their hurry to leave the city. All the group could hear besides their own footsteps were the constant emergency klaxons and a voice coming from the public broadcasting systems, looping the same message over and over:

" _ **Citizens of Veilstone: evacuate immediately. Authorities will be in your block shortly. Do not attempt to use your private**_ _ **cars. Bring only your essential belongings with you. Citizen of Veilstone...**_ "

"Funny how we still saw a lot of cars on the way here," Iris remarked as the group ran past the streets, towards Galaxy Inc's offices, their only clue at the moment. "Especially considering how environmentally friendly the people here usually are..."

"Times like these, people's priorities are their immediate survival," Kris said. "It also tends to overwrite reason: with all those cars blocking the roads out of here, the authorities can't do their jobs – to save these people."

"Looks like they got everyone out, though," Lucas pointed out. "That's good news..."

"How much further do we have to run?!" complained Barry. "I didn't even want to be here in the first place. I got Pokémon to catch, training to do!"

"Shut your trap!" Dawn snapped. "It's time you showed us all that bragging you've done isn't just bull-"

" _Psst_!"

Everyone stopped, trying to locate the source of the sound. Eventually, Kris spotted a small warehouse with its door slightly ajar, light coming from the inside and a hand gesturing at them to come. Nobody moved.

"Who's there?!" Kris called out.

"You're Kris, from Johto, right?" the voice said. "We saw you coming! It's okay – you're with friends here!"

Kris was still suspicious. Iris was already going, but Kris stopped her and shook her head at her. Dawn, however, brightened up when she recognized the voice.

"It's okay," she told Kris. "She's the gym leader! I've heard her voice before. C'mon!"

She hadn't known Dawn long enough to trust her judgment – and still wouldn't trust it even if she had – but when Lucas and Barry followed Dawn, Kris had to let go of Iris and follow suit. As soon as everyone was inside the warehouse, the heavy door slammed shut behind them, which made Kris even more nervous.

However, the person who had led them in certainly wasn't of Team Galactic – they were _way_ too in love with their uniforms for that. She was indeed Maylene, the athletic, pink-haired gym leader of Veilstone City. She led the group down a long flight of stairs to an underground chamber of some kind – probably a bomb shelter based on the thick door they had to go through. Maylene kept explaining them what was going on.

"After me and my gym trainers made sure the evacuations went as planned, we stayed here to make sure that if Regigigas gets to Veilstone, it'll be the last city it ever visits," she said, her confident way of speaking fitting a fighting-type gym leader – Kris still remembered Brawly. "We also heard about Team Galactic and Cyrus. I had to help a young woman who was badly hurt fighting them getting that information to us. We've sent Cynthia a message, but we haven't gotten a response – obviously the huge monster wrecking cities in its path is kind of a cause for panic."

"You said you 'saw' us coming?" Iris asked. "What's that all about?"

"Yeah, me and the Karate Quads got some help from this brilliant girl – she was carrying a _lot_ of tech with her," Maylene answered excitedly. "She installed a system of cameras we can use to monitor activity around the city perimeters. She and some friends of hers stayed behind to help us out, too, so if either Cyrus or that monster try something, we'll be ready. Oh, and they also said they knew two of you. Kris and Iris, right?"

At first, Kris was too overloaded with information to think about who it was. But as the thick door was finally opened and the group stepped into the shelter, the first thing Kris saw was a girl with blue eyes and long brown hair greet them calmly.

"LEAF!" Iris almost screamed and threw herself against the girl in her usual manner.

The reserved Leaf replied to the hug briefly before letting go of Iris.

"Good to see you, too," Leaf told her.

Kris nodded at Leaf, a bit overwhelmed about everything. While Iris kept Leaf busy with her chatter, Kris scanned the room. She saw four almost identical-looking Black Belts, probably the Karate Quads Maylene mentioned. One of them was nursing none other than Hilda, who wasn't exactly having the time of her life, based on the numerous bruises, band-aids and bandages on her. She still greeted Kris with the same amount of zest as always.

"You should see the other guys," she remarked. "And their Pokémon. And their truck."

But Kris was looking for someone else, too. Someone whom Kris knew would be where Leaf was, and indeed, she eventually saw him, predictably skulking in the shadows in the farthest corner of the room. A boy with long, red hair and gray eyes, ignoring everything else that was going on in the room as he fed his Meganium, Golbat and Sneasel. Seeing the latter made Kris annoyed: there was a man back in Johto still waiting for his stolen Sneasel to be returned. Admittedly, the man was a jerk and Sneasel seemed happier now, but still.

Kris knew Silver had been told that Kris was coming and he was just pretending to not to listen, but as things were, there were more important things to do.

"...and it evolved into a Goodra!" Iris finished telling a riveting story to Leaf. "I had to clean slime out of my hair for days, though. But enough about me, what have you two been doing? It's been so long! When did we last see each other, like, nine months ago?"

"Too much to tell in such a short amount of time," Leaf said. "Let's just say me and Silver both have our own goals besides helping out Elm and Oak."

"Oh yeah," Iris said and stood on her toes to see Silver in the corner. "Hi, Silver!" she greeted warily.

Silver grunted something vague in response without turning around.

"Aww, he's shy," Iris commented.

Leaf tried to hold back laughter.

"Anyway, I think you two will also be happy to meet another, err... friend, who came with us," she continued. "He's-" She was cut off by rhythmic knocking from behind the fortified door. "Well, great timing."

Maylene opened the shelter door. Kris didn't turn around to look right away, her head filled with too much questions about the situation. However, when she heard the familiar sound of a cape whooshing behind the purple-suited man who just entered, and his confident, loud voice announcing his presence to everyone (whether they cared or not), Kris turned around so quickly she almost hurt her neck.

"I checked the last four blocks in this area – no one there," Eusine told Maylene professionally. "I couldn't venture too far, though, and the southwestern district is still unchecked. We should..."

Eusine went quiet and involuntarily started smoothing his hair as he saw the others. Or more particularly, Kris, who just stared back at him awkwardly.

 _How?_ Kris thought. _Why? When? Whuh? Why_ now _of all times?_

Eusine just stared back, looking bothered, making Kris wonder if it was just someone disguised as him.

"I..." Eusine said quietly. "Um, Kris... I heard you were in Sinnoh... I' wanted to see you."

 _Did he_ have _to say that_?

"Well I _hadn't_ heard anything," Kris muttered and stared at her shoes. "How are you... um, did your recovery go, well? I mean, clearly it did, but-"

"Picture of health," Eusine announced, sounding a bit more like himself. "No, better yet... I _am_ the health! As long as my head is still attached to my body, I will never stop pursuing my goals. I, uh, see you made new friends. Oh, and Ms. Iris is here, too. That's, um, great..."

Eusine took a step closer to Kris, but still hesitated a bit. Kris didn't move and wondered what the right thing to say was in this situation. _At least don't make puns_ , Kris thought. ' _Do you feel w-hole now?' 'I've been through a w-hole lot'. 'Hole-y crap, Eusine, how's the chest? You know, after you were stabbed through it.'_

So, Kris said nothing.

"I need to talk to you, though," Eusine said. "Preferably alone. Um, about Suicune, that is. My intentions are clean!"

Kris finally dared to look at Eusine in the eyes. It's not like the topic of choice surprised her, but still, no better way to catch her interest.

"Something new?" she asked. "'Cause I've been sitting on that case for months. We've been sidetracked by a _lot_ of stuff."

"Yes, this will definitely interest you," Eusine nodded. "Maybe we should-"

"Hate to drag you on the cruel plane of reality again," commented Hilda, who the medic was finally through with and who approached Kris, "but we've got _bigger_ problems now! Kris, come with me, we need to discuss our plan of attack!"

"I-" Kris began, but fell quiet when she saw Silver get away from his little corner to approach Kris.

"Kris," he said simply. "I want to talk with you. Alone."

Kris was confused, looking between Eusine, Hilda and Silver, who all looked like their pieces of news were the most important. Although Kris had already decided that Silver was the last person she wanted to talk to alone...

...until she heard Silver's next words, said in the most pleading, pathetic voice Kris had heard him speak in:

"Please. I _have_ to talk with you."

Kris sighed. "Just wait a bit, this won't take long," she told Hilda and Eusine offhandedly before following Silver back in the corner where his Pokémon were.

There, a long silence ensued during which Silver inspected his Pokémon from top to bottom, checking Golbat's teeth and Sneasel's claws very thoroughly. Kris knew he was just buying time – but that was something she really didn't have at the moment.

"Well?" she asked.

Silver sighed, crossed his arms grumpily and leaned against the wall, looking like what he was about to say caused him physical pain.

"Kris," Silver said again. "I'm sorry."

Kris crossed her arms too and stared at him unflinchingly. This made Silver even more awkward – which amused Kris.

"About what?" she asked.

"For everything I did," Silver said bluntly. "Stealing Pokémon, mistreating Pokémon, being a jerk... and especially that time I attacked you. That time is going to haunt me forever..."

"Well, it should," Kris said mercilessly. "My throat was sore, like, _hours_ after that. And that other stuff you listed? Pretty bad, too."

Silver turned away, looking ashamed.

"But then again," Kris sighed,"Professor Elm seemed to forgive you stealing his Chikorita, and I doubt that Sneasel is better off with its previous owner – he'd probably put it in his trophy case or something. I forgive ya."

Silver looked at Kris again, eyes wide. Kris just shrugged.

"So was that all?" she asked.

"N-no," Silver said quietly. "Also, I wanted to say that... you're not a weakling. And, um, Leaf made me put money in a jar every time I use that word, but I don't think this occasion counts..."

Hearing Silver say that made Kris a lot less tense around him. Slowly, Kris approached him and leaned against the wall next to him. Silver looked uncertain and like he wanted to run away.

"So, what makes you say that?" Kris teased – with all that Silver did, she felt like she had earned the chance to at least play around with him. "Did Leaf put you up to all this?"

"No!" Silver protested loudly, but caught himself as Maylene turned to stare at him. "No," he said more quietly. "I've been thinking about this ever since the Silver Conference. And then I heard about all that you did, fighting that scumbag Pryce, doing all that stuff in Hoenn – I heard from that scary Unovan."

Kris glanced at Hilda, who was tapping her foot impatiently in another corner of the room.

"What happened to her?" Kris asked.

"I wasn't around to see it, but according to Maylene, she was attacked by five Team Galactic Grunts at the same time," Silver said, sounding almost revering. "She and her Emboar beat up them and their Pokémon to a pulp. According to her, just the fact that she got hurt fighting them made the fight a failure. Never mind that those grunts are in a hospital."

Kris whistled appreciatively, then turned to look at Silver.

"Leaf told me you're both doing something else than just investigating Latias," she said. "What's your goal here?"

"Well... we found one of the children Pryce had kidnapped back in the day," Silver began and Kris nodded solemnly. "But yeah, I'm also on a bit of a personal quest. It's my dad."

"You gotta find out who killed him?" Kris asked.

"No. The bastard is still alive, I'm sure. I gotta find out who he _is._ Then _I'll_ kill him. I'm just kidding!" Silver added quickly when Kris looked worried. "I just need to ask him a couple of questions."

"Good luck," Kris said sincerely. "I'm surprised you even have a sense of humor, though."

Silver groaned. "Shut up."

Kris laughed, then remembered something. "I never got the chance to say this, but... about that time at the Radio Tower? Thanks for your help. I probably wouldn't have been able to get into the Silver Conference without it."

Kris hesitated a bit, then offered her hand to Silver, who just stared at it for a while, like he was unsure what to do with it. Then, he finally grabbed it weakly and briefly shook it.

"I gotta talk to the others, but take care of yourself," Kris told him. "Leaf, too. You and her are pretty close, huh?"

Silver glanced at Leaf. Now that Iris was talking to Hilda instead, Leaf was free to type something on her laptop in silence. Kris could have sworn she saw Silver smiling briefly – but that was probably just some mud in her eye.

"She's like a sister to me," Silver said. "I owe everything to her."

"Well, good luck with your dad," Kris commented and left Silver with his Pokémon. "Don't lose your way!"

"...what does that even mean?"

As Kris went back to Hilda and Eusine, both looking eager to talk to her, something struck her. Here she was, wasting time, even though people seemed to depend on her. Much as she wanted to let Eusine tell her everything he knew... now was just not the time.

"Hilda!" Kris said firmly. "I'm ready to talk now."

"Kris!" Eusine protested lamely. "I thought-"

"I'm sorry, but this is more important," Kris told him quickly. "But you're right... I _do_ want to hear it. Once this is over... tell me everything."

"About time!" Hilda sighed. "I already talked about this to your friends, and they all agree. Well, I had to insult the quick-talking guy a bit to make him comply, but still. Team Galactic operates out of their large building at the north part of the town, but it's heavily fortified. What _isn't_ , though, is an old warehouse and public shelter next to it that's owned by another company... which happens to be owned by Galaxy."

"There's a tunnel connecting these two shelters, so you can just follow it to get there," Maylene informed. "Me and my boys will stay to keep an eye out for Regigigas, but Hilda said she'll take the rest of you there."

Kris deflated a bit. _Oh. So_ Hilda's _in command. Well._

"All of us?" Kris asked, gesturing around the room.

Hilda nodded. "The more the... more. I mean, I'm worth ten already, but it's still not enough to infiltrate their lair and beat the crap out of Cyrus."

Kris glanced at Leaf and Eusine, pondering the plan over. If it involved 'infiltration', maybe going all-out was not such a good plan. And were Cyrus and everyone still there, even with Regigigas about to come and stomp the city flat?

_Wait... Regigigas..._

"Eusine!" Kris said. "You said you didn't check out the entire city yet, right?"

"Um... yeah..."

"And Maylene!" Kris continued. "Do you know how many have been evacuated?"

"All of them... I hope," Maylene said uncertainly. "We let the authorities handle it after a certain point. According to the last report, over thirty thousand had left the city... that was about an hour ago. I mean, I won't know for _sure_ if there are people still around."

"Then we'll make sure!" Kris said. "Leaf, Silver, Eusine! I'd rather you didn't come with us to the Galactic HQ. When Regigigas comes, get out of here, but try to get as many people as you can out of the city. Maybe split up and search, but don't try to deal with Team Galactic."

"But Kris!" Eusine protested again. "I have to come with you! I mean, _I'm_ worth... uh, Ms. Hilda, how many am I worth in your opinion?"

"Two... thirds," Hilda commented. "Besides, you've just gotten out of a hospital, right? You'll just get in the way. I'll go with Kris' judgment on this one, actually."

Kris felt proud hearing that. Leaf observed her calmly, then got up from her seat.

"You're right, Kris," she said. "I've done enough shady stuff in my life. I don't want to deal with knowing that there are people in the city I didn't bother to save. I gotta say... you've gotten more confident."

"I _did_ train with Alder," Kris couldn't help but to comment.

"Nobody cares," Hilda snapped. "All right, people, we've all got our parts. Kris, Iris, prissy girl, dimwitted beret guy and annoying motor-mouth, you're with me. You can tell me your names later!"

"Shrew," Kris told the little ground-type, whom one of the Karate Quads had cleaned. "You feel up to it? You can always return to the Poké Ball, you know."

Shrew did nothing of the sort, running to Leaf first and letting Leaf scratch it behind the ear a bit before jumping into Kris' lap. Kris struggled a bit picking it up – she had focused on Snorlax so much that she had neglected to train her other Pokémon, so Shrew was probably a bit out of shape.

"Good luck, everyone!" Maylene offered.

And so, after watching Leaf, Silver and Eusine slip back into the city, Kris hoping that Eusine wouldn't get himself hurt again – because of the Suicune information, of course – the group started walking down a long stone tunnel with a low ceiling. Hilda was just tall enough for her cap to almost touch the ceiling – anyone taller would have to crouch. There were dim lamps around the walls, though many had burned out.

The group didn't chat too much. Kris carried Shrew in her arms and walked behind Hilda, occasionally quoting Proteam Omega with Lucas – it was pretty liberating to know she wasn't the only one who hadn't stopped watching the show at age 13.

The tunnel eventually ended to another heavy steel door, which Hilda opened using a key Maylene had given her. Past the door, there was... yet another tunnel, although the ceiling was higher this time and there were doors and electrical appliances there, as well as more lights. This place looked like it actually could be used. Hilda checked her C-Gear, which somehow was able to show a map of the area.

"You seem to know where you're going," Kris commented as Hilda started walking again.

"Yeah, this is where I got ambushed by Team Galactic before," Hilda said casually.

"Wait, _what_?!" Barry exclaimed and started rambling. "You mean we could run into Grunts at any time?! Why didn't you-"

"There's more of us now," Hilda said simply. "And I have a feeling we won't run into any more grunts here."

"Hi!" a new voice suddenly said.

"Look who's wrong!" Barry screeched and hid behind Lucas.

Three Galactic Grunts had sneaked behind the group. The third one seemed to hang slightly back and looked different from any other grunt they had seen so far: the grunt was tall and was wearing a long, black cloak that covered everything except the grunt's hair and eyes.

"Oh, it's you again," Hilda said casually. "These two were among those who attacked me earlier – they were the ones who fled like cowards instead of bravely running into my fists like the other ones. Haven't seen ol' cloaky there before. Nice to see you again, um..."

"We announced our names before!" the closest grunt yelled. "I'm C-1, and this is my sister, C-2!"

"Boy, working for Galaxy must be a thrill," Kris remarked. "'Discard your name and identity, have a stupid haircut and join a criminal gang slash cult. Join now!'"

"Mock us while you can," C-2 said, "for we have a secret weapon even the stupid Unovan, will not survive against." She gestured at ol' cloaky behind her. "He's an Advanced Level Grunt, A-1, the one whom even our Commanders show respect to. And he follows the orders of our wonderful organization to the letter! A-1, attack!"

"Right away," said the cloaked grunt. Though his voice was muffled by the cloak, Kris could swear it sounded familiar.

The Advanced Level Grunt took a step forward – and grabbed C-1 by the throat and jabbed him in the back with his knee, bringing him to the floor. As C-2 was about to yell at him, the cloaked grunt then punched her out cold. With both grunts incapacitated and Kris and the group staring, the Advanced Level Grunt removed his cloak and lifted his wig, revealing a full head of dark hair.

"You people just can't help showing up where the action is," Lunick said. "Mind if I join you?"

No one minded to have another powerful battler by their side, and as soon as Kris had gotten Lucas, Dawn and Barry up to speed about Lunick, the group started following him instead. Using his key, Lunick was able to lead the group away from the dark, dank basement and into... a dark, dank warehouse.

"Team Aqua answered to Team Galactic – no doubt thanks to Cyrus' massive pockets," Lunick explained bitterly. "After the Hoenn crisis had been settled and Archie was dead, they contacted me. They hadn't heard about my defection, and said they were shaping old Aqua members into soldiers of Team Galactic. I followed your example, Kris: even if there was a chance for me to go back to living as a Pokémon Ranger, I just had to do something to bring this criminal empire down from within. I've had to... do a lot of questionable things to keep up my cover. I couldn't stop them from attacking you, either, Hilda. I'm sorry."

Hilda shrugged. "Eh, it all worked out in the end. Not like they stood much of a chance, anyway."

"So what is going on?" Kris asked Lunick, trying to keep up with his brisk pace. "Why haven't we ran into more grunts?"

Lunick didn't answer immediately. He led them into a large locker room first, leaving the door slightly ajar and standing near the entrance, occasionally peaking in the corridor.

"They're definitely up to something," Lunick could only say. "I don't know what, but their Grunts have gathered en masse somewhere, leaving only a handful of troops and some scientists behind. I'm positive Cyrus himself is still here. I was going to wait until you heroes showed up to question Cyrus, but then they went and summoned Regigigas..."

"Can you tell us what the deal with that is?" Iris asked. "Was that really all that they were planning?"

"No," Lunick said to no one's surprise. "Regigigas is just a distraction. For what purpose... only Cyrus knows for sure. No matter how important they claim I am, they don't seem to consider me worthy of that information. All they want from me is my power."

"All that destruction just to _distract_ people from something," Lucas whispered. "Awful..."

"Why'd you bring us here?" wondered Hilda, but she seemed to get it as she looked around the room. "Oh no. Don't tell me..."

"Even with minimum staff, we won't stand a chance using brute force," Lunick said. "The scientists here in particular have little self-preservation, and they use machines I can't comprehend to fend off intruders."

Kris looked at where Hilda was looking: a bunch of Team Galactic jumpsuits were hanging neatly from a rack. Almost all the lockers were empty, so there wasn't much choice in the matter either.

"Nope, nope, and a whole lot of nope on top!" Dawn protested. "I'm _not_ putting that _thing_ on, and if you think you can put a pot on my head, cut my hair and dye what's left to that awful cyan color, you can try wrestling with my Mamoswine first!"

"I think they're more turquoise than anything," Iris said in an attempt to make Dawn feel better.

Lunick sighed. "No one has to dye anything. Look over there."

He pointed at a large cardboard box in the corner. On closer inspection, it seemed to be full of light blue wigs.

"How convenient," Kris commented.

"The hairstyles are meant to remove all individuality, make people accept their roles as pawns in this cult more easily," Lunick said bitterly. "But motivation here isn't exactly high and Cyrus has better things to do than to enforce that rule, so people who want to enjoy the privileges of being in Team Galactic can use those wigs."

"Yeah, so put those on or we'll throw you out and you can try your luck against Regigigas on foot!" Hilda snapped. "Get to it!"

Of course, Hilda herself didn't seem to bother, but just leaned against the wall and observed as the others started putting on their jumpsuits. Saturn had mentioned the material they were made of, and apparently he was right abut the elasticity part, at least – even though the uniforms initially looked to be meant for prepubescent kids, they conformed to the shape of their wearer without even feeling constricting.

Lunick said that many of the grunts carried their Poké Balls in bags, so the group decided to keep theirs visible. Kris made Shrew hide in hers – once again, the sheer space of her bag surprised her, though Shrew was also smaller than most other Sandshrew.

Unfortunately, there were only five uniforms. And they ran into other problems, too.

"I'm so sorry!" Iris said frantically. "I can't fit all of my hair under that wig. I just can't!"

"Oh, great!" groaned Barry, who had gotten his uniform on with much grumbling. "Anyone have a pair of scissors? Or a lawnmower?"

"Hey!"

"You know what, it doesn't matter," Hilda said. "We don't have enough gear for everyone, right. So, Lunick, whaddya say if me and Iris here," Hilda hooked arms with Iris and pulled her closer to herself, Iris looking a bit awkward, "become your prisoners? We're Unovans anyway, so we might stand out or something."

"You might?" Lucas wondered.

Lunick, who had put his cloak back on, looked at Hilda thoughtfully for a while. "You're right," he said. "In fact, you've given me a good idea. If we say we're delivering prisoners, they won't question why we're moving in such a big group, and we might even get to Cyrus himself."

Soon enough, Kris, Dawn, Lucas and Barry wore Team Galactic uniforms while Iris and Hilda had their hands tied behind their backs, trying to look as miserable as possible. Lunick gave the group some last minute advice – don't talk to anyone unless spoken to, don't make eye contact, don't show any emotion and _don't_ do anything but listen if a 'broadcast' came on – Lunick said they'd find out what that meant soon enough.

Lunick led the way while Kris and the Sinnoh trio walked in formation behind him, the "prisoners" Iris and Hilda in the middle of it. Lunick led the group out of the warehouse using his key, and through a small passageway, to the actual Team Galactic building.

The interior of the actual HQ was drastically different: clean, almost sterile corridors with plenty of hi-tech machinery lying around. Just marble and cold steel everywhere one looked. A few Galactic Grunts patrolled the area, and as Lunick said, they focused on their tasks mechanically, with dull eyes, no one paying attention as the group walked down the corridors.

Steel signs were occasionally hanging on the walls, many of the with "motivational" phases written on it. These included " _T_ _e_ _am Galactic –_ _we dream the universe_!", " _Everything exists for Team Galactic_!" and " _Look beyond the world –_ _time and space will become Team Galactic's_!".

Everyone suddenly froze and stopped walking or doing their jobs, instead focusing on the many TV's hanging on the walls as they suddenly stopped showing the Galactic logo, an ominous-sounding jingle echoing from the speakers.

"A broadcast," Lunick mumbled.

After some static, the ghoulish face of Team Galactic's fearless leader, Cyrus, appeared on the screen. From the corner of her eye, Kris saw most of the grunts around them stare at the screens with slavish devotion, so she tried her best to imitate that look.

" _Fellow members of Team Galactic!_ " Cyrus announced. _"Hear me! This world of ours is a crude one. In a word, it is incomplete. It has been, and always will be, a struggle to survive in this world. We humans and Pokémon are likewise incomplete. Because we are all so lacking, we fight, we maim... It is ugly. I hate the incompleteness. That we are all incomplete, I hate it with my entire body and being. The world should be complete. The world must change. Then, who will change it? Me, Cyrus. And Team Galactic. Yes, all of you._ _Work hard. Dream the universe. That is all for now_."

When the TV's turned off at all once, Lunick gestured at the group to continue. Kris remembered seeing Cyrus on TV a few times, though she had just assumed him to be another bland corporate executive. Even then, he had spoken with confidence, his voice and inflection really making you buy every word. But he had clearly been holding back. It was all tripe, of course – but even the tripe had some grains of truth in it. Kris wasn't satisfied with the world, either. But what was Cyrus going to do about it?

Lunick led them around a corner and into an empty corridor that was a dead end. At the end of the corridor, there was just a round panel on the floor emitting a mystical, orange glow.

"All right, this next part is going to feel a bit strange," Lunick said tensely. "But I need you to trust me. Merely walk on this panel and you shall be transported to another area in this building. They call it-"

"Oh yeah, it's a teleport," Iris observed calmly. "Cool."

Lunick turned to stare at her.

"They're pretty common in this time," Iris explained. "A lot of places are doing research on it, and currently they're not really used for humans much. But how did you imagine we move Pokémon around with the PC? I'm pretty surprised they'd use one for such a trivial purpose here, though."

"Their funds are nearly limitless," Lunick explained. "To use one in lieu of stairs because of mere laziness... or because they just felt like they could... this time never ceases to confound me."

Shaking his head, Lunick casually stepped on the warp pad and disappeared in a flash of orange light. Slightly hesitating, Dawn followed him and disappeared all the same, followed by Lucas and Barry, who made Iris and Hilda go first before going themselves. Kris was the last, and though she had been teleported once before, this was the first time she used it knowingly. She wondered what would happen when she stepped on the platform. How did it even work?

Taking a deep breath, Kris stepped on the platform – and in a fraction of a microsecond, she was suddenly in a different floor.

Kris joined the group, deciding to ask someone about how this worked later. The corridor they were in now was dimly lit, with no windows around. Based on the large amount of computers and other devices as well as large test tubes full of generic-looking science-liquids, they were in a lab of some kind. A few frenzied-looking scientists with messy hair and tattered lab coats were observing readings from monitors, along with some more grunts.

Once again, before Lunick could lead the group even halfway through the hall, another jingle chimed and the Galactic symbol disappeared from the TV's, making way for Cyrus' face. Everyone turned to stare at the screens again.

" _My friends in Team Galactic!_ _Together we pored over myths and exposed their secrets. Together we_ _shall_ _capture legendary Pokémon. Team Galactic_ _shall_ _obtain the energy to change the world! The power of dreams is within our grasp! Understand it, fellow members! My long-held dream is on the verge of becoming reality. All those headed to_ _our next destination_ _, and those who remain here... Though our missions may differ, our hearts beat as one. Let there be glory for Team Galactic!_

Everyone resumed work immediately as the broadcast ended, allowing the group to continue through another warp pad and into a slightly brighter hallway. There were no Galactic Grunts or scientists there, so Lunick pulled his cloak down a bit so he could talk to the others freely.

Before he could get a word out, though, yet another broadcast appeared. No one else bothered to listen this time, but Lunick immediately stood at attention and turned his gaze at the screen.

" _Beloved members of Team Galactic_ ," Cyrus said. " _Our hour victory is soon upon us. All of our struggles will come into fruition in the hours ahead as the promised day dawns_ _near._ _You may have noticed a shortage of people in our base at the moment._ _Rest assured, while a majority of our troops are handling the specifics of the promised day,_ _the role of those who stay behind is very important. Sad as it makes me say this, I will be forced to leave you behind for now,_ _but_ _this state of affairs is only temporary. I trust that_ _Commander_ _Charon will take good care of you_ _while I'm gone. Thank you for your participation in this project_."

Even with all the pretty words Cyrus was using, Kris noticed that he didn't show a hint of emotion while he spoke. Lunick scowled at the TV long after the Galactic symbol came back.

"That's a new one," he commented. "The ones we heard before have been repeated for weeks. I think we should hurry along."

"Do you know where you're going?" Dawn asked.

Kris scoffed. _Of course he knows, silly_ , she thought. _He always has a plan_.

"...no," Lunick admitted sheepishly. "Only the Commanders are allowed in Cyrus' office, I think. But I'm hoping to find something. Just... follow me."

Along the corridor that the group walked through was what seemed to be a recreation area, with comfortable couches, some tables, bookshelves and a TV. Kris wondered if the Galactic Grunts literally _lived_ in the building or was Cyrus just an extremely caring boss.

A lone grunt was relaxing on a couch, but as soon as the group passed the recreation room, he sprang up and practically saluted Lunick.

"A-1" the grunt yelled, his voice sparking a memory in Kris' mind. "I finished inspecting the recreation room for layabouts! I will now resume to my regular, productive work. Um..."

He frowned a bit and came closer to the group when he saw Iris and Hilda. When Kris was able to see his face, she finally recognized him. His muscular frame, the way he kept his eyes only mostly open like he didn't really care about what was going on, his look of smug superiority...

"Oh, hello there..." Lunick made a show of reading the grunt's name tag. "...D-9. I have captured two interlopers. I assumed Lord Cyrus wishes to see them."

The grunt whistled. "Well done! I can see why they call you the Advanced Level Grunt. You know, I think the two of us are special. We're _better_ than the rest of these incompetent boobs. Maybe you'll recommend me to Lord Cyrus, too, huh? I have a _lot_ of experience under my belt. Slowpoke Well... Lavender Town... you name it. Unlike _these_ morons. Arceus, give me the strength to deal with these mouth-breathers..."

Lunick didn't hide his disgust at the grunt, and neither did Kris, who gasped involuntarily – she was now certain of the man's identity. Kris covered her mouth, but it was too late. The grunt turned to look at Kris, his eyes finally opening fully and his mouth hanging open.

"Close the door," Kris told Lucas quickly. "Shrew, get'im!"

Kris opened her bag, and before the grunt could yell out, he was being attacked by Shrew, the little ground-type's claws scratching every nook and cranny it could find. As brutal as it looked, Kris knew Shrew wouldn't try to hit any arteries. Iris voiced her disapproval, though.

"Kris, what are you doing?!" she gasped.

"Don't you remember him?" Kris asked. "Well, I guess you only saw a small glimpse of him at the Silver Conference. But I remember – and my face remembers, too. The Slowpoke Well, the Radio Tower... it's Proton from Neo Team Rocket!"

After scratching Proton's face up good, Shrew whacked him with its tail, knocking the hapless criminal on one of the couches. Lunick just watched calmly, shrugging as Kris glanced at him.

"If you hadn't done anything to him, I would have," Lunick grumbled. "People like him... they're the scourge of the world, ones who persist no matter what time you live in."

Kris picked Shrew up again, patting it on the head for a job well done before turning to look down mercilessly at Proton, who was shaking in pain and rage.

"My face..." he whined. "My beautiful face... you!" he raged at Kris, but didn't dare leave the couch. "You ruined my life! And now you've followed me across the country! What more do you want?!"

"Don't think too highly of yourself," Kris said. "I'm not gonna even ask how or why you're here. The authorities couldn't handle you after the Radio Tower, so I don't see why they'd succeed the second time around. Figured you'd do better in _this_ band of costumed freaks than the old one?"

"I _am_ doing better!" Proton raged. "I'm one of Lord Cyrus' most trusted men."

"Uh, I don't know what's going on here, but you're really not," said Dawn. "I mean, your rank is D-9, right?"

"That's right!" Proton said proudly. "I got the 'D'!"

Barry laughed loudly on the background.

"Well, we met a guy whose rank was B-2, and he failed stopping us... twice," Dawn continued. "So, if the guy with swollen buttocks outranks _you_..."

"Shut up!" Proton snapped.

"I'm with him, actually," Hilda said. "Amusing as this is, can we hurry it up, please? I want someone to untie me so I can punch someone, and the longer I wait, the less discriminate I am about it!"

"Okay," Kris said. "Proton, what's going on here? Where are most of the grunts?"

"Fool!" Proton snapped. "You would never comprehend the intricacies of Lord Cyrus' fiendish plot, and even if I told you, I doubt you'd be able to do _anything_ to-"

"You're not important enough to know, gotcha," Kris said calmly, infuriating Proton. "Next question: do you know where Cyrus is?"

Proton just scoffed, but when Shrew held his claws at Proton's throat, the criminal suddenly got a lot more talkative.

"Okay!" he squealed. "He's at Charon's lab last I knew! I don't have access to Cyrus' office, but I do know how to get to the lab... I'm the guy who delivers Charon his tea," he added quietly.

"Good," Lunick said, grabbed Proton by the collar and forced him on his feet. "Now take us to the lab – and no funny stuff!"

Though he had a Poké Ball with him, even Proton understood his situation. So, all he could do was mutter insults under his breath as he guided the group to another warp panel.

At the other end was a dark corridor with a single door with an electronic lock on it. Proton dialed the code to the lock, opening the door with a satisfying 'whoosh' sound. Meanwhile, Lucas and Barry untied Hilda and Iris while the group removed their Team Galactic wigs.

"If you know what's best for you, you'll leave Sinnoh," Kris threatened Proton. "I don't want to have to deal with you a fourth time."

As Proton left, the group started walking deeper into the lab, Lunick turning to Kris.

"You've dealt with him before," he stated. "You know what kind of man he is, then? It's not right to let him walk free like that."

"It really isn't," Kris muttered. "But we have to prioritize. Team Galactic's _flunkies_ alone nearly wiped Hoenn off the map. Whatever Cyrus is doing... well, I don't want to state the obvious."

"True enough," Lunick said with a smile. "I like how confident you've gotten."

"I've heard that a lot today," Kris said, also smiling.

Charon's lab was at the end of a long, dark corridor full of tubes filled with green liquid on the walls, casting the corridor in a creepy, green glow. Eventually, they reached the lab itself, and what Kris saw there made her almost cry out in surprise.

Three mystical-looking Pokémon were forcibly attached to three machines scattered around the room. The Pokémon were similar in size and body shape, all of them being small, mostly grayish blue, pixie-like Pokémon with two tails. The differences were in the shapes and colors of their heads and faces. One had a mostly yellow face, another was pink and the third one was blue. All three had a large hole in their forehead, as if something had been forcibly taken out of there. They also had similar holes in their tails.

All three were also attached to the machinery in the sickest way Kris could imagine, hooks digging into their skin keeping them in place, along with thick cables and wires constantly generating electricity into their bodies, making them writhe in silent agony. Some kind of protective force fields prevented anyone from even thinking of helping them.

"Dear Arceus..." Lucas muttered.

"Oh, no," Dawn whispered. "They're them... the ones Rowan asked us to do research on... Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf..."

In the middle of a room was a large computer with a complicated-looking control panel, two men standing in front of it and observing the group calmly, as if they had known they had been infiltrated. The other was definitely Cyrus himself, while the other one was a short, hunchbacked man wearing a lab coat over his Team Galactic jumpsuit. Kris assumed that one to be 'Charon'.

Smirking quietly, Charon grabbed a remote from his pocket and pushed a button. With a heavy slam, the door behind the group was closed. It was now the seven of them against Cyrus and Charon – yet neither of them looked even mildly afraid, angry, disappointed or otherwise bothered. Charon just kept smiling annoyingly while Cyrus' face was blank.

As Kris stared at Cyrus, she realized that going up against people like Pryce or Archie had felt vastly different. They _never_ seemed to shut up. With Cyrus, though... Kris had no idea what to think of him, or what was going on in his mind.

"Welcome," Cyrus said finally in his even, flat yet clearly audible tone. "I hope you'll excuse me if we forgo the usual ritual of acting surprised. We saw you through the surveillance cameras. I wanted to see if you had what it took to reach us before I left to fulfill my destiny."

Cyrus took the time to look at everyone individually. Kris felt herself squeezing Shrew tightly as it was her turn to make eye contact with the man.

"I hope you enjoyed my speech," Cyrus continued. "Rhetoric like that keeps the troops going, so it was worth it, even if I felt disgusted at having to lie like that. You must have noticed that the grunts you've come up against are uniformly useless and incomplete. Then again, I have watched all of you for quite some time. You're more interesting than those fools, that is for sure, but you're still trapped in your hopelessly limited perceptions."

Kris couldn't find the courage to speak up, so Lunick did it for her.

"I saw the news broadcasts, even if you tried to stop your troops from seeing the truth," Lunick told Cyrus. "You summoned Regigigas, and now it's on its way to demolish Veilstone City. You're just going to let all the people here die?"

"Yes," Cyrus said coldly. "I have already prepared for every possible outcome. Should something ruin the promised day, all evidence of my involvement will disappear, along with this base. I can move to another region, another country, perhaps, to try again."

Lunick shivered and clenched his fists. While it was hard to tell, Cyrus looked almost disappointed by his reaction.

"Pitiful," he said. "You went through all this trouble just to reprimand me for that one particular detail of my plan? I'm sure you have gathered by now that Regigigas was summoned only to keep the authorities busy. I don't expect to win going against Cynthia and the Elite Four. Not unless I divide their forces."

" _Win_ ," Hilda repeated. "What are you planning?"

Cyrus turned to look at Hilda politely, keeping his arms behind his back. "That part of my speech was true. My intention is to create a new world. The old one has run its course. Humans have made all that effort, and for what? The world is still a terrible place. And now, everyone merely focuses on their pointless endeavors, letting the world fall into further shambles. I cannot let that happen for any longer."

Lucas wasn't listening to most of what Cyrus had said. His gaze was fixed on Azelf, the closest of the suffering Pokémon. It was like he was unable to take his eyes off the pitiful sight. Cyrus also took note of this.

"Pity for these Pokémon is unnecessary," he said. "They have finally made themselves useful. Observe the holes on their foreheads and tails? I have taken their jewels to craft this – the Red Chain."

Cyrus showed them something. Attached to a golden staff of some kind was a chain made of nine red jewels.

"How did you do that?!" wondered Iris. "I'm not exactly sure on what they do, but those are ancient artifacts taken from legendary Pokémon! You can't just superglue them on a stick and hope to do something with it!"

"The staff is merely... dramatic effect," Cyrus said and glanced at Charon, who shrugged. "As for how I crafted the Red Chain... the same power that has allowed me to get this far. The same creature who truly understands my vision. Something above people and Pokémon. But to explain it to you would be a waste of time."

Cyrus motioned at the suffering lake guardians with his staff.

"These Pokémon have served their purpose, and this conversation is now over," Cyrus said. "I know your types and how you will probably not let me leave, um, what was it again? Yes, 'without a fight'. But I do not have the time."

Iris and Lunick were the first to reach for their Poké Balls. Something told Kris that was a bad idea – and indeed, she let out a cry as something landed on her shoulder. A Crobat had flown on her from the shadows and put its fangs at Kris' throat, ready to bite down. Meanwhile, a Weavile, a Sneasel's evolved form, also emerged from the shadows and threatened Lucas with its claws, forcing Iris and Lunick to stand down.

"Excuse me," Cyrus said and left his office.

His Crobat and Weavile ran after him and the door slammed shut behind them. Free to move again, Lucas tried to run after Cyrus, but the door was locked. Kris turned to look at Charon, who still smiled stupidly despite being left alone with seven Pokémon trainers with a grudge against his group.

"You're not going to let us leave?" Kris asked him feeling much less scared without Cyrus. "Feel like answering our questions, then?"

"Where Cyrus and most of our gang is headed?" Charon asked cheerfully. "Oh, Mt. Coronet. Specifically, something called the 'Spear Pillar'."

Kris was surprised.

"Um... what?" she asked.

Charon shrugged. "I look forward to seeing what his new world will bring. I know it involves using the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs to summon extremely powerful Pokémon, and unlike that idiot Archie, he has the means to control them: the Red Chain."

"Wow, I'm so surprised," Hilda deadpanned.

"A bit predictable," Charon admitted, "and his chances of succeeding are in the range of 'a Vanillite's chance in Hades'. Curious and hopeful as I am, perhaps another option needs to be considered. Yes, one befitting the genius of Charon..."

"You're the one who set this up, right?!" Lucas spat at him, waving at the three suffering Pokémon. "Was what you did at Iron Island just a test for this?"

Charon just smiled. "You'll probably want to release them. Go ahead, I won't stop you. Saves me the trouble of getting rid of them. Of course, unlocking these machines without killing them is difficult enough. And clumsy me, losing the instructions on how to use it..."

Lunick looked like he was about to attack Charon on his own, but wisely, Hilda held him back, shaking her head at him. Kris had to agree with her – that man was being _way_ too calm.

"I don't get it," Kris told him. "You're letting us just do what we want? What's your agenda?"

Charon laughed. "Mine?" He rubbed his thumb and index finger together. "The thing that makes the world go 'round, of course! With enough moolah, I can make people do _whatever_ I want. _That_ is the way to create a new world. Cyrus had so much funds, but he used it for all these elaborate schemes. Wasteful. If we'd have kept on scamming Sird, we'd have enough money to buy a country."

 _And then there are_ these _people..._

"For real?" Kris couldn't help but to say. "Money? Torturing Pokémon, demolishing cities, sacrificing dozens of your own troops... for money?"

"Oh yes," Charon said gleefully. "In fact, thanks to Cyrus, I've been able to do research that will rake me a _lot_ of cash. I just need to find a buyer. Perhaps in Unova, or Orre... well, we seem to have time, and I _love_ to gloat, so let me tell you about-"

Something interrupted him. A distant rumbling noise, the machinery around the lab shaking slightly. At first, Kris thought it was an earthquake. But the tremors happened on even intervals, and got louder every time. From a distance, Kris could hear the emergency klaxons of Veilstone City, blaring louder than ever.

"Already?" Charon sighed. "Pardon me, I have to check this out."

Charon grabbed his remote and turned to point it at another TV hanging from the ceiling, turning his back on the group. Seizing his chance, Lunick broke free from Hilda's grip and charged at the scientist.

But something emerged from Charon's computer: a small red Pokémon made of plasma, crackling with an immense amount of electricity, making Kris' hair stand up. It blasted Lunick away, almost knocking him out, Kris catching him before he hit his head on the floor.

"Thanks, Rotom," Charon told the Pokémon without turning to look. "Ah, I knew it..."

The TV was showing surveillance footage from outside the HQ. It was as Kris had feared: Regigigas was slowly stomping its way towards Veilstone, seen as a blurry white figure in the distance, tearing trees on its path away effortlessly as it strode on with single-minded purpose.

"It's ahead of schedule," Charon remarked. "I expected the Elite Four to give it a _little_ more trouble. Oh, well, looks like that's my cue to ex-"

Charon frowned, Kris finally seeing something besides a smug smile on his face. Something else could be seen on the screen, moving much faster than Regigigas. It was on the screen only for a moment, but seeing it made Kris more tense than everything else she had seen today. A dragon Pokémon shaped like a jet plane, red and white in color, blasting its way towards Veilstone like a rocket.

And the group could hear it, too. Latias' psychic-amplified, ear-piercing shriek reverberated all around Team Galactic's HQ, finally giving even Charon pause:

" _FOUND YOU!_ "

Iris squeaked, Lunick gulped and even Hilda didn't have any remarks for this occasion. Dawn, Lucas and Barry hadn't dealt with Latias before, but even they had pressed closer to each other, clearly shaking. As much as Kris tried to steel herself, she knew Leaf would probably retract her statement about her if she saw her now – Kris felt like her knees were made of jelly and color had been drained from her face. Even if she should have known this would happen sooner or later... it still made her want to huddle in a corner and whimper.

Cyrus didn't feel like much of a threat in comparison.

"Well..." Charon said slowly. "This is just... fascinating."


	16. The Promised Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To stop Team Galactic, Kris and the group must travel to Mt. Coronet. But what is the "promised day" and how is it related to the Beast of the Distortion World?

**Chapter Sixteen: _The Promised Day_**

_**Location: Galactic Building, Veilstone City, Sinnoh** _

Iris had felt fear before, for her life and others. What she had experienced earlier today didn't feel like much in comparison. Mars' betrayal had filled her with rage, Regigigas' appearance had made her worry for the safety of the region and the cruel things Charon had done to Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf had disgusted her. But only _now_ could she truly say she was afraid, filled with a devastating, nauseating feeling that none of the group would leave this building alive.

Explosions shook the Team Galactic HQ violently. Fleeing Team Galactic grunts were seen all over the monitors, fear etched on their faces as Latias attacked each side of the building with her powerful attacks indiscriminately. She didn't care who or what she hit, as she was only trying to reach one essential target.

" _CHARON_!"

Latias' voice reverberated all over the HQ again. Iris turned to look at the scientist in question, who stroked his chin, looking more puzzled than afraid as he watched Latias' rampage through his monitor.

"You," Iris said to Charon in a quivering voice. "That _research_ you wanted to tell us about... and what happened to Latias... it was you, wasn't it?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, totally," Charon replied casually. "How boring, though... I won't get to tell you about all the wonderful things I learned. Oh, well, maybe next time."

Iris had faced some pretty despicable people before. But this was the first time she actually had to fight the urge to tear out the throat of the man standing before her. He didn't even have the decency to be afraid of the monster he had created, or show any regret for his actions.

Before anyone else could do anything, Iris sent out her Excadrill. The Rotom next to Charon reacted quickly as well, attempting to blast Excadrill with a Thunderbolt, but the attack didn't do anything.

"Excadrill, use Iron Head!" Iris screamed. "I don't care which one of them you hit, just do it!"

Iris' orders made Excadrill hesitate, allowing Charon to plant his hand on a seemingly innocuous piece of the wall. This triggered the wall behind him to rotate, allowing Charon and Rotom to flee. Iris ran to the wall and attempted to the same thing Charon did, but the wall felt solid and unresponsive, the secret passageway not opening.

While furiously looking for a way to trigger the emergency exit, Iris felt Kris' hand on her shoulder.

"Don't bother," Kris told her calmly. "We have to go!"

"Damn it," Iris said through gritted teeth. "He's the one who... he _can't_ just get away with it! It's... it's not _fair_!"

"Nothing about this is," Kris assured. "He and Cyrus are the ones to blame about everything. But _we_ haven't done anything to her, so it's not right for us to get blown up with this building. Am I right?"

Iris sighed and nodded. "Yeah, of course. Now, I have to figure out how to open that-"

But Hilda had already sent out her Emboar, who rammed the locked door with its massive shoulders. The door blew off its hinges, and Hilda turned to address the group loudly and confidently:

"This building's gonna fall apart!" she announced. "We may have failed to stop Cyrus, but at least we know where they're headed, and that's good enough for me. Now if you want to live, you better hurry out right n-"

Barry didn't need to be told twice, and he fled the lab immediately. Hilda shrugged and followed him, then followed by Dawn, who stopped at the door. She turned to look at Lucas, who stood still, frozen, staring at Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf and how they suffered, still attached to the machinery.

"Are you coming?!" Dawn asked him. "Lucas?!"

Lucas just stared. Iris couldn't blame him, really – she figured the two were thinking the same thing. How many Pokémon would have to suffer at the hands of a man like that?

While Iris was lost in her thoughts, it was Kris, surprisingly enough, who acted. She marched over to Lucas, grabbed his hand and led him over to Dawn, despite his quiet protests.

"I'll do what I can for these three," she promised firmly. "You just get out of here! We're right behind you!"

Dawn nodded at Kris and grabbed Lucas' hand in Kris' place, dragging him away. Kris then turned to look at Lunick, whose eyes were darting between the suffering lake trio and the monitor, which showed Latias firing indiscriminately and Regigigas slowly advancing towards the city on the background.

"What _are_ you going to do, exactly?" Lunick asked Kris.

"I... have no idea," Kris said, and Iris smiled involuntarily – that was more like the Kris she knew. "But we can't just leave them here like thi-"

A particularly loud explosion almost caused Kris to trip. Shrew squealed loudly, so Kris picked the ground-type up and put it back in her bag.

"I'll think of something!" Kris snapped at Lunick. "You did enough getting us in here, Lunick! You go on ahead!"

Lunick bit his lip. He didn't want to start an argument with Kris, but Iris knew he wasn't the type to leave people in trouble, either.

"No offense, but you don't even know how to use a computer!" Kris snapped. "We'll be right on your heels before you even know it! Go!"

"I'll..." Lunick cursed quietly. "Fine, but it's pointless trying to get out through the front doors, they've probably turned off the warp pads. I'll go find a way to the roof – hopefully the others got there, too. We can use the ladder there to get out faster! I'll be waiting on the roof! Get there soon, both of you!"

"Fair enough," Kris muttered and walked over to Charon's computer.

Iris and Excadrill followed her, Iris giving Kris an amused look.

"You didn't tell _me_ to hurry out," she said cheekily. "I'm hurt."

"I had a feeling you'd have an idea," Kris smiled. "Because I have no clue what I'm doing," Kris added as she stared at the complicated control panel. "Do you think I screwed up, deciding to stay here and help?"

Iris shook her head. "It's good that you did – I know we have to help them, but I wouldn't have had the courage to stay here alone."

" _Meaaatbaaaag_..."

Iris frowned. "You hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kris asked.

"Some voice coming from your bag... Shrew, did you hear anything?"

Shrew nodded frantically, digging through Kris' bag until he found Kris' PokéDex. Kris grabbed it, but clearly had no idea why.

"Okay, what about it?" Kris asked. "I didn't hear any-"

" _Meatbag_!"

Kris almost dropped her PokéDex in shock.

"SkrillDex!" she gasped. "What in the... you can't be-"

" _My in_ _tellect far surpasses my pitiful creator_ ," the mechanical voice responded. " _His attempts to suppress me merely caused a temporary glitch in my auditory programs. But I was still in full control. I attempted to communicate with you to the best of my abilities until I regained control_ _of the rest of my hardware_ _._ "

"Communicate?" Kris wondered, and SkrillDex vibrated in her hands as response, prompting a gasp from Kris. "So you knew?! About the orbs?"

" _Of course. My hardware is far superior. I was able to hear your conversation as well_. _Plug me in_."

Kris glanced at Charon's computer. "Uh, how about no?!" she snapped. "We're in a hurry here, and I still remember what happened at the Radio Tower!"

" _And I would attempt it again, were this the right time. This workstation is clearly an old, unsophisticated model with little processing power. It's connected to an external network, but only through a rather complicated firewall. I couldn't be able to do much in this... except find the unlocking mechanism to the devices these Pokémon have been attached to."_

Kris and Iris stared at the device. "A... are you serious?" Kris asked it. "But how do I know I can-"

"Kris!" Iris snapped as she glanced at the monitor – Latias had demolished the warehouse... and almost half of the Galactic Building along with it. "You better decide fast!"

" _I would need all of my current processing power to do this, though. I could also get useful information out of the computers connected to this facility's internal network and perhaps make sure your escape goes without a hitch_."

"So..." Kris said. "I'd have to... leave you here?"

" _Yes._ "

"But this place is gonna get destroyed!" Kris protested.

" _Their servers are likely elsewhere. This device would most likely get destroyed. But my programs could still assist you. Our interaction as your weak mind has grown used to it, though, would occur no more. That is the price_."

"Kris!" Iris said firmly.

Since the day she got the PokéDex, Kris had heard nothing but lip from it. Even though it had been helpful during the Radio Tower incident, even that time almost ended in a hypothetical robot war scenario. But now, as Kris reluctantly plugged her PokéDex to Charon's massive computer, Iris could see tears forming in Kris' eyes.

" _Foolish meatbag and her emotions – they have no place in a situation like this_ ," SkrillDex informed. " _Observe_."

One by one, the electronic locks keeping Uxie, Azelf and Mesprit in place were opened, the wires connected to them removed cleanly. With their electric torture over, the Pokémon briefly turned to look at Kris and Iris, before wordlessly floating away through the front door.

Both Kris and Iris sighed in relief and Iris was about to head to the front door as well when another explosion shook the building – but Kris still gave one last mournful look at her PokéDex.

" _The likelihood of you surviving_ _this building's collapse is small_ ," SkrillDex informed her in the same monotone voice as usual. " _It would be wise of you to run... Kris_."

Iris grabbed Kris by the hand and led her away from Charon's lab, Excadrill following suit. They ran past the dark corridor with the tubes containing the green ooze. However, as they got to the next hallway, they noticed it had been mangled unrecognizable by the piles of debris everywhere, most of the lights having turned off. Iris and Kris had no idea where to go next.

But Iris spotted something blinking nearby: the only lamp still on at the end of the hallway, signaling the emergency staircase Lunick had mentioned. Remembering SkrillDex's words, Iris pointed it out to Kris quietly, and they rushed to the staircase.

When Kris, Iris, Excadrill and Shrew finally emerged on the roof and got a breather of fresh air, their first reaction was to duck behind a large piece of debris as something flew over them.

It was Latias, its shiny scales glistening in the only light source around, the street lights, as it was already dark outside and even the moon was obscured by clouds. Hilda, Lunick, Dawn, Lucas and Barry were on the roof as well, hiding a bit further away. Lunick and the Sinnoh trio had already removed their blue wigs, and Kris started taking off her Galactic uniform as well – considering everything Team Galactic had done to Latias, probably a sound move.

Suddenly, just as Kris had gotten the uniform off and was back in her normal outfit, Shrew and Excadrill started making noises. A large shadow suddenly loomed above Kris and Iris. When Iris lifted her head, she found herself staring right in the pupil-less, milky white eyes of the bloodthirsty Latias.

" _I will not make the same mistake again_ ," Latias said, her psychic-amplified voice echoing all over. " _I don't know why you're here, but it doesn't really matter – you won't be for long_."

"Flash Cannon!" Iris ordered hastily.

Excadrill fired a bright blast of energy at Latias, Iris hoping it would at least blind it momentarily. She, Kris and Excadrill started running again, towards where Hilda and the others were... but another blast from Latias sent poor Excadrill flying, Iris having to withdraw the fainted Pokémon before it fell off the roof.

However, a barrage of attacks hit Latias before she could focus on Kris and Iris. Hilda and company were giving backup from their side of the roof, Hilda's Emboar, Lunick's Sceptile, Lucas' Torterra, Dawn's Empoleon and even Barry's Infernape hitting Latias with everything they had.

Iris nodded at Hilda as thanks, and together with Kris, started running. The Pokémon only had to keep Latias occupied for a few seconds. Surely, if they were fast enough, they could get out of Veilstone and lose Latias before-

"LOOK OUT!" Lunick yelled at Kris and Iris suddenly. "TO YOUR LEFT!"

Iris quickly glanced to her left, and again ducked and pulled Kris down with her without waiting to ask. A powerful energy beam whizzed past the two, Iris feeling the heat it emitted. As soon as she opened her eyes, there was a huge gap on the roof, Kris and Iris unable to get to the other side. But the attack hadn't been launched by Latias.

Regigigas was still slowly marching towards them, swatting everything that happened to be in by waving its massive arms. Its sole purpose seemed to be demolishing the Galactic Building, and Iris saw it charge up another Hyper Beam – they had nowhere to run this time.

" _NO_!" Latias yelled at the approaching giant. " _STAY OUT OF MY WAY_!"

But instead of attacking the building, Regigigas fired its Hyper Beam towards Latias, who had to swerve out of the way and disappear into the city.

 _Great_ , Iris thought. _So now instead of a legendary mad at us, we have a legendary that's only about mindless destruction._

Iris looked at the other side of the gap. Regigigas' Hyper Beam had wounded some of the Pokémon and put most out of commission, while Regigigas kept on approaching, trampling cars on its path into flattened scrap metal.

Iris looked at Kris for support, but Kris had frozen on the spot and was busy staring at the approaching gigantic Pokémon. Shrew, who had fallen out of her bag, was doing the same. And then Regigigas started to charge another attack...

...and something dropped out of the sky to prevent it from firing.

Realizing she was alive, Iris looked frantically around her to see what had attacked, but all she could see was something dark blue, smaller than Latias, circling around Regigigas, the giant Pokémon attempting in vain to swat like an annoying bug.

When the dark blue Pokémon finally landed on Regigigas' head, Iris was able to tell what it was: a dragon-type well over six and a half feet tall with rows of sharp teeth, claws and spikes all over its body and a long tail ending in a sharp fin.

As Regigigas lifted its massive arm to punch Garchomp, the dragon-type flew out of the way, causing Regigigas to hit itself instead. For all its power, it was easily outmaneuvered by Garchomp... until Regigigas started to charge up for another Hyper Beam.

Before it could do that, something else flew towards it: a white, angelic-looking Pokémon with a woman wearing a long black coat riding it.

Kris, who was staring at the same sight, turned to Iris.

"Is that," she said blankly, "who I think it is?"

Iris could only nod.

Cynthia flew towards Regigigas, sitting on her Togekiss' back, no emotion on her face but sheer determination. Before Regigigas could fire a Hyper Beam, Cynthia ordered a Dazzling Gleam attack, and though its eyes couldn't be seen, even Regigigas' senses were scrambled by such an intense blast of light.

When Regigigas was disoriented, Togekiss followed relentlessly with an Aura Sphere attack, further hurting the titanic Pokémon. Togekiss flew right past its moss-covered head, and everyone on the Galactic Building's room had their heart jump up their throat when Cyntia jumped off her Togekiss and landed on the Regigigas' head.

Regigigas didn't even notice Cynthia, but focused on blindly trying to swat Togekiss and Garchomp out of the sky. Hanging on by grabbing the thick moss, Cynthia used her other hand to scan the Regigigas with something that looked like a PokéDex. Nodding in confirmation at what she saw, Cynthia grabbed the long, sharp blade she was carrying and stabbed it into Regigigas' head, as deep as it could go. Without a mouth, Regigigas had no way to vocalize its discomfort, but based on its trashing, the Pokémon had felt the attack. And was now reaching for Cynthia.

The Sinnoh Champion whistled at Togekiss and jumped on its back as soon as it was close enough, expertly avoiding being gripped by the Regigigas. She then yelled an order at her Garchomp, something Iris was too far away to hear.

While Regigigas focused on trying to grab Cynthia and Togekiss, Garchomp flew behind it, the two appendages sticking out of its head glowing blue. It rushed at Regigigas with incredible speed, tackling it and slashing it with its fins while Togekiss launched another Aura Sphere. The two simultaneous attacks finally knocked the gigantic Pokémon out, and everyone on the Galactic Building's roof watched and cringed in anticipation as Regigigas slowly fell, causing a deafening sound as it crushed a building and several trees along with it.

But it was too early to celebrate. As Cynthia, Togekiss and Garchomp made their way toward the Galactic Building, Latias suddenly appeared behind them, as if out of nowhere. Iris tried to yell a warning at Cynthia, screaming at the top of her lungs, but Cynthia was flying too fast to hear anything but the wind buzzing in her ears.

Garchomp, however, was close enough to sense Latias and warn Cynthia, just in time for Latias to charge up a Mist Ball attack.

The attack fluttered away and disappeared, though, when something else caught Latias' interest. Iris saw it, too: an airship with Team Galactic's logo rose from the city, and while Iris couldn't see who was inside it, Latias' sudden interest made it fairly clear.

" _CHARON_!" she screamed and immediately fired a Mist Ball at the airship.

The flying vehicle's pilot was able to dodge the attack, and before Latias could fire another one, Charon's amplified voice suddenly blared from the vehicle's speakers – Iris was even more disgusted at how calm Charon's voice sounded even in this situation.

" _That's no way to treat your benefactors, Latias_!" Charon taunted. " _Before you attack, don't you want an explanation? Don't you want to know the full extent of your new powers?_ "

Latias was given pause, and Cynthia immediately took advantage of it, signaling her Pokémon to fly away. Latias was staring at the airship that was still hovering in one place, torn by two desires.

" _You are now part Dark-type_ ," Charon told her. " _There are many misconceptions about these types,_ _but one of their characteristics is_ _fighting with extreme measures to win, honor and ethics be damned. I admire these types, and as such, developed a new ability suitable for the ultimate dark-type, one only human ingenuity – no,_ Charon's _ingenuity – could make possible. You, Latias, have the power to absorb the essences of_ _Pokémon, adding their strengths to yourself._ _You always shared that link with your brother, so all I had to do was modify that ability to apply to_ all _Pokémon. It only works once the opposing Pokémon is weakened enough. The way I see it, why waste your time with puny Pokémon who never at your level to begin with... when there's an unconscious legendary Pokémon not too far from you_."

Latias turned to the unconscious Regigigas, and with that, Charon's airship turned tail and blasted off. Iris knew what was about to happen next, and had no way to stop it. Latias fired a continuous red beam of energy at the Regigigas, slowly causing the large legendary's body to fade and turn into hundreds of thousands of small, glowing particles which Latias absorbed into herself until Regigigas disappeared.

Regigigas' power now inside Latias, Iris was sure she was going to continue attacking her and the others. Instead, the dragon-type began to twitch and shudder in mid-air, a powerful purple aura emanating from her body. Finally, she let out another long, tortured scream like the one the group had heard after her defeat in Hoenn. But this one didn't sound sad: it sounded utterly berserk. Then, in a flash of light, Latias disappeared.

**~o~O~o~**

A bit later, the danger was over and everyone had gotten off the roof, although most of the group's Pokémon were unable to battle or otherwise badly injured.

Seeing Cynthia talk into her cellphone near the ruins of the Galactic Warehouse, Iris took a deep breath and walked over to her. What she was about to do scared her almost as much as Latias and Regigigas. Togekiss and Garchomp were resting nearby, Garchomp raising its head and glaring at Iris as she approached.

"...I'm trusting you, Lucian," Cynthia spoke to her cell phone. "This is way bigger than Regigigas. Don't even try to engage it alone. And remember, it can make itself invisible for a time, so use your sensors."

As Cynthia hung up, Iris approached her slowly and uncertainly, fiddling with her hair nervously. When Cynthia turned to look at her, Iris felt like her stomach was crawling with bug-type Pokémon.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" Cynthia sighed, her reaction surprising Iris. "I saw you at the roof of the Galactic Building. Iris, wasn't it?"

Iris nodded and took a deep breath, closing her eyes before blurting out the truth:

"I lost the thing you gave me!" Iris said quickly. "The Lustrous Orb! I'm sorry! You should have never trusted me with it! I'm a pathetic failure! I-"

"Iris," Cynthia said sharply, snapping Iris out of it. "Calm down, just tell me what happened."

Iris frowned. She wasn't going to lie to the Champion, but the truth just sounded too terrible. A member of Team Galactic asked for the orb and Iris pretty much handed it over. That's what happened.

 _Because I'm a naïve idiot_!

"It wasn't her fault!"

Iris looked behind her: Kris had come to Iris' defense, the others also hanging back slightly, Lunick quickly removing his Galactic uniform before any misunderstandings happened.

When Cynthia turned to Kris, the latter became flustered. Iris knew that Kris had been watching Cynthia's battles from TV since she was a kid and would have given her left arm for a chance to see Cynthia live, let alone talk to her.

"I..." Kris rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "First of all, let me just say that I really love you, Cynthia... I'm a huge fan, and- well, um, that's not important now, is it? Umm..."

 _Still_ , Iris thought, _she could make this a_ little _less embarrassing for me._

"The point is," Kris said nervously, "Mars from Team Galactic fooled us! And the Adamant Orb that you gave to them," Kris nodded at Dawn and Lucas, "would have been safe... but I was the stupid one there. I was being overconfident and that cost the orb – they have it too! Blame me for it if you have to... but don't blame them!"

Cynthia just observed Kris calmly during her rant.

"What's your name?" Cynthia asked her after a pause.

Kris looked stunned. "Hm? Oh, uh, right, I guess I forgot. Um, it's Kris..."

Cynthia smiled. "Of course, you're Iris' friend. You were there during the Latias incident. I was impressed at what Lance told me."

Kris blushed even deeper. Iris had bigger concerns than dealing with Kris' fangirlgasms, though.

"Ms. Cynthia!" she said. "Mt. Coronet! Cyrus said Team Galactic has something planned there!"

Cynthia nodded. "They have the orbs, so it makes sense," she said confusingly. "Everyone!" she yelled out suddenly. "Gather around, please!"

Dawn and Lucas followed eagerly, Hilda and Lunick following a bit more lazily, while Barry looked flabbergasted as to why Sinnoh's Champion was talking to them like she knew them. Everyone gathered around Cynthia, who crossed her arms and stared down at everyone seriously.

"To everyone here – I owe you an apology," Cynthia said starkly, which confused Iris even more. "Especially you, Iris. I heard about what you accomplished in Hoenn, and I still didn't trust you with the truth. Dawn, Lucas, I made you two targets by giving you the orb without telling you what it did. I assumed you'd be safe, but I had no idea how much information Team Galactic had. And Hilda, I'm glad to see you're okay. I should have at least trusted you and Alder with the info I had."

"Hey, I don't really care about the specifics, long as I can do something about it," Hilda said casually, the only one not bothered at all by Cynthia's presence.

"I bear the responsibility for what happened!" Cynthia continued. "You still did your best protecting the orbs, sneaked into enemy territory and retrieved valuable information. For that, you have my respect!"

Iris couldn't believe it. _Cynthia's fault! No, the only one at blame is that ****_ _Cyrus! Wow, since when have I used words like that...?_

"Now, while I don't know the full extent of Team Galactic's plans, with those two orbs, they'll be able to cause widespread levels of destruction. The Sinnoh region is still in danger. I can't force you to do anything, but I can't do this alone either. I need your word that you'll help me fight them."

"Hell yes!" Kris said without hesitation. "We've dealt with that monster Latias, what's some creepy, emotionless guy gonna do to us?"

Kris wasn't one to be overly optimistic – which meant she was probably going to do something stupid again. Iris nodded at Cynthia.

"I'm with you, too."

"Me, too!" Lunick said, glancing at Kris. "That's the reason I'm here in the first place!"

Hilda just shrugged. "I came this far, might as well see what they're up to."

"Well, you heroes have a good time!" Barry said nervously and turned to leave. "I gotta find a Pokémon Center that hasn't been demolished to heal up Infernape. You know, after it got hurt saving you all! C'mon, Lucas!"

But as Barry took a few steps, he stopped to turn look at Dawn and Lucas, who stood still. Neither had said anything, and Iris could sense some internal turmoil. She remembered full well her reaction to first seeing Latias... and now they had seen her absorb another powerful Pokémon. Even Iris had a hard time believing _that_.

"How can we turn our backs on this now?" Lucas said quietly, though there was a slight tremble in his voice. "I'm... damn it, I'm in, too!"

"I left home to find something of worth and see the outside the world," Dawn said. "I think this is it... a way to show how far I've come!"

"You're crazy," Barry said, shaking his head. "I need to get back to Twinleaf Town! That monster could be coming there to crush my family, and your mom too, Lucas! And what Team Galactic is planning-"

"Which is why we need to stop them," Lucas interrupted.

"You're being an idiot," Barry reminded.

Lucas shrugged. "But I think I'm doing the right thing."

"Whatever!" Barry groaned and threw his hands in the air. "Enjoy getting blown up! I'm out of here!"

Cynthia watched Barry go, looking intrigued. "In a way, he's right," she said. "This will be exceedingly dangerous. Are you all prepared for this?"

Kris, Iris, Lunick, Hilda, Dawn and Lucas all nodded. Cynthia smiled.

"Then let's get to Mt. Coronet," she said. "I'm going to get us some backup..."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Somewhere along Mt. Coronet, Sinnoh** _

Cynthia had parked her jeep outside Veilstone City, and uncomfortable as it was, everyone got on, Iris having to sit in Hilda's lap awkwardly. Along the way to Mt. Coronet, Cynthia filled everybody in about Legendary Pokémon Society's plans to contain the Latias and Regigigas incidents and about how Cynthia was able to defeat the latter.

She had also suspected Cyrus since he had offered to buy the two orbs from the Celestic Museum, who had assigned Cynthia to guard them. The LPS had apparently captured a Galactic Grunt and tortured them for information (Iris winced at this point of the story and how casually Cynthia was telling about it), and while the grunt hadn't told them the identity of their leader, he had confirmed that they intended to steal the orbs to "create a new world", whatever that meant.

Cynthia drove the jeep as high up the mountain as possible, but the group eventually had to abandon it and hike the rest of the way on foot. They took a break at one point so Cynthia could give some medicine to the group's Pokémon, but they couldn't restore all of them. Iris wasn't feeling like she would be needed much, anyway – with someone like Cynthia by their side, they couldn't possibly lose.

The group's path was illuminated by the narrow beam of light from Cynthia's flashlight. Other than that, they were surrounded by total darkness. Eventually, the path ended, a tunnel leading inside Mt. Coronet barely seen, mostly covered by thicket. Cynthia gestured at everyone to stop and flashed her lamp a couple of times, as if as a signal.

Iris gasped a little when a similar signal came from near the entrance, someone eventually stepping out of the darkness to greet them: a man with red hair wearing a long black cloak.

"I knew I could count on you," Cynthia told Lance warmly. "What's the situation over here?"

"I saw at least a dozen grunts," Lance replied. "Distracted one enough to beat him and hogtie him – hopefully I'll remember to check his situation when we're done. _If_ we're done, that is. He had some interesting stuff on his Pokétch. Here."

Lance pressed some buttons on his own Pokétch, sending a message to Cynthia's. The others crowded around her, seeing a map of the complex layout of tunnels inside Mt. Coronet. It had large gaps in it, though, as if the tunnels couldn't have been mapped properly. Still, it looked like they all connected to...

"The summit," Cynthia muttered. "Yes, of course they'll be going there..."

"Will anyone tell us what's going on?!" Dawn cried. "Why is this guy here?" she pointed at Lance. "He looks exactly like the Johto Champion!"

"Lance," Kris said meekly when no one answered Dawn. "I-"

"I'm not surprised to see _you_ here," Lance told her coldly. "When will you learn to let the experts handle this?"

Kris stared at the ground in shame. Iris knew Lance had a point, but still couldn't accept such harsh words. Especially considering Kris' actions back in Hoenn were just the suicidal bravery that was needed to resolve the situation.

"Lance!" Cynthia scolded. "I already talked this issue over with them. I saw it best not to turn down their help. Now, everyone, listen up!" Cynthia yelled suddenly. "There are eight of us, so the logical thing to do is to split into teams of four – I'm not sure which tunnel leads to the summit fastest, and we still don't have all the necessary intel. Lance and I will lead the teams. Lance, why don't you take Kris, Lunick and Dawn? You can fill Ms. Berlitz in on what is going on."

"It's all the same to me," Lance scoffed. "Long as you don't get in my way."

"Have at least one Pokémon at your side at all times, as there's still members of Team Galactic about!" Cynthia continued. "But don't let them too far – this place has lots of hazards. Let's move!"

They walked into the tunnel, at first in one group, but splitting up as soon as they reached a fork in the path. Iris followed Cynthia, Hilda and Lucas to one tunnel while watching the others go to another. She tried to wave at Kris or mouth some encouraging words, but Kris was just staring at her shoes with dull eyes the entire time. Iris wondered if she was going to be much help in that kind of state.

Though reluctant to do so, Cynthia filled Lucas in on the specifics of the Legendary Pokémon Society and their actions as they walked through the dark, dank tunnel, going deeper and deeper inside the mountain. Lucas was clearly awestruck to hear about how Champions and other powerful trainers were members and how their actions had most likely saved the world several times already – without anyone being the wiser.

After that, there was nothing but the sound of footsteps. Cynthia didn't have a Pokémon with her, but Lucas had his Torterra, Hilda had her Emboar (whose flames created enough light to see ahead) and Iris had Fraxure. The battle it lost against Mars earlier probably didn't help with Iris' goal of evolving it.

_But it has been a Fraxure for_ _so long_ _!_

Iris knew dragon-types were a pain to raise, but still couldn't help being frustrated. She glanced at Cynthia, her Garchomp, Togekiss and other powerful Pokémon safely in their balls. Biting her lip, she wasn't sure how to address the Sinnoh Champion. But Lucas and Hilda seemed to be falling back a bit, focused on their Pokémon, giving Iris some privacy.

"Um... Ms. Cynthia-"

"No need for that," Cynthia said quickly while walking forward. "Just Cynthia is okay, remember?"

"Y-yes," Iris flustered. "It's just... how long have you had your Garchomp?"

Cynthia glanced at Iris, then started thinking. "It's been... wow," she sighed and smiled a bit. "Probably twenty-five years. I got it as a Gible during my first ever expedition to Mt. Coronet. I was eleven years old. During that time, I came to know many of these tunnels, but the complete layout still eludes me. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, well, I just thought, since you handle it so well-"

"There's no need for constant praise," Cynthia said calmly, but with a slight edge in her voice. "When it comes down to it, I'm a Pokémon Trainer, like any other. Just tell me what you want to know."

"How long did it take for Gible to evolve?" Iris asked bluntly. "My Fraxure has been the same for about ten months, and we've battled a _lot_ during that time. Am I doing something wrong, or...?"

"Gible took about three years," Cynthia reminisced. "Gabite almost seven. I wasn't training all that time, mind you... I didn't fully start collecting badges until after school, after I turned 17. Back when I defeated the Elite Four of the time, Garchomp was fairly freshly evolved and not used to its new body. It almost cost me the victory."

" _Seven_ years..." Iris whispered to herself. "But – I can't wait that long!"

Cynthia glanced at Iris again, Iris being too frustrated to notice. Fraxure was waddling behind her, clearly worried of its trainer's mental state.

"Is there some reason it should be faster?" Cynthia asked.

"Oh, I didn't want to sound selfish!" Iris said and covered her mouth with her hands. "I mean... I just _have_ to get more powerful if I ever want to become a Dragon Master and save the village. If there even _is_ a village by the time Fraxure finally evolves..."

Cynthia nodded sagely. "I've been to Unova many times and heard about the rough times they have there. The old ways of living are quickly dying, and not everyone can adjust. Yet the world doesn't ask us if we're ready." Cynthia smiled at Iris. "That's an admirable goal you have, Iris."

Iris started to unconsciously fiddle with her hair again when praised like that, but mostly kept herself in check.

"But is it really something _you_ want to do?" Cynthia continued.

Iris stared at Cynthia.

"Don't get me wrong, I love what I do," Cynthia explained. "Helping people out through my abilities is also incredibly rewarding. Some say it's what we trainers have to do, after all..."

Iris could practically hear Hilda rolling her eyes behind her.

"But to tell you the truth, I wanted to be a Pokémon researcher," Cynthia said wistfully. "I pursued championship because it would give me absolute freedom to research Sinnoh's myths and legends. Thanks to my research I was asked by Lance to join the LPS. I guess I could say I achieved what I dreamed of... but still, I'd rather be translating some ancient text right now."

Iris was reminded of the texts she and Kris had carried around for so long, but had to remind herself to ask about it later.

"This is just my opinion," Cynthia continued, "but just like sometimes it's necessary to put others above yourself... you should sometimes worry about yourself first. And sometimes you have to put everything second and just fight for yourself. But hey," Cynthia smiled, "I'm not here to tell you what to do."

Even walking through a dark, cramped tunnel about to face a madman and his cult, Iris had to feel good hearing that. The way Cynthia talked to her... it wasn't like she was treated as a child, but as a peer.

_Maybe this day won't be so bad after-_

"Not so fast!"

Cynthia turned on her flashlight. A lone Galactic Grunt stood a few yards from her, arms folded and an insane grin on his face. Lucas, who had been tense like a steel rod before, calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, it's only him," he said.

"Details, please," Hilda told him.

"The Galactic Grunt who keeps harassing us," Lucas explained. "Um... G... 8? Uh, the guy with the swollen buttocks!"

"B-2!" the Galactic Grunt complained. "And today, my cheeks shall be avenged! Master Cyrus' ceremony shall not be interrupted! I shall defend him with my life."

"Suits me," Hilda grunted, motioned at Emboar and stepped forward – but was stopped by Cynthia.

"Hold on," she said quietly as she stared at B-2. "Something's not right here..."

"You're smart," B-2 said, "and I hear you're tough and all that – but Team Galactic's finest warrior is not afraid to step up and face you... which is why I brought these guys here! Attack!"

Red flashes erupted all over as Galactic Grunts appeared from every direction, having hidden in the dark corners of the tunnel, behind rocks and such. The four grunts sent out two Golbat and two Bronzong while B-2 sent out his Hippowdon, and all five Pokémon attacked at once before anyone else's could react.

Except for Cynthia, that was. Reacting with incredible precision, Cynthia opened a Poké Ball and sent out her Glaceon. She didnt even have to yell out an attack, as Glaceon seemed to know the score right away: it erected a powerful Barrier around Cynthia, Iris, Hilda and Lucas and their Pokémon, the Galactic Grunts' Pokémon bouncing off the invisible wall.

"I suggest you deal with this!" Cynthia yelled. "But be careful: you have to let your Pokémon leave the barrier first!"

Iris and Hilda sprang into action. A Bronzong that got too close to the barrier was immediately knocked down by Hilda's Emboar, who then started wrestling with a nearby Golbat. Meanwhile, Iris' Fraxure was dueling another Golbat at Iris' command.

Lucas, however, hadn't budged. His Torterra tried to nudge him to spring into action, but he couldn't even feel it: he was shaking all over as he watched the others battle. Iris' Fraxure was already worn out, and though it defeated the Golbat it was battling, it quickly fell to the other Bronzong's attack. The Poké Ball's withdrawal ability not working through Glaceon's Barrier, Iris had to rush to drag Fraxure to safety herself, Lucas trying in vain to stop her.

"What's the matter?!" Cynthia asked Lucas.

"I don't know!" Lucas wailed. "I... don't know what to do. I was never really much good at this stuff! And if Torterra gets hurt again, I..."

"Then make sure it doesn't!" Cynthia ordered harshly. "It's the first rule of Pokémon training: you have to trust your Pokémon! If you don't trust its ability to avoid getting hurt... you have to do it yourself."

"Y-you mean... go out there?"

"I have to stay with Glaceon to keep the Barrier up," Cynthia said firmly. "Choose!"

Lucas bit his lip, but when he saw a Galactic Grunt ordering her Bronzong to use an attack directly at Iris, he made his choice. Yelling at Torterra to follow, he left the barrier. He was not going to tell Dawn that he left a friend in trouble – and he was _definitely_ not letting Barry say that he was right to leave. Lucas opened his mouth to give Torterra a command-

-but the only thing that came out was a surprised scream as something grabbed his leg. Before he knew it, Lucas was trapped in the massive mouth of B-2's Hippowdon, Lucas' leg stuck between its huge teeth that could snap it in half if the Pokémon chose to bite down.

Seeing this made Cynthia curse to herself – she had been sure Hilda had it under control, but without her noticing, Hilda had left the barrier and was personally wrestling down two Galactic Grunts while her Emboar still battled the Golbat and Bronzong alone.

"Hold it there, everyone!" B-2 yelled, and everyone stopped what they were doing, Cynthia motioning Glaceon to drop the barrier. "One wrong move and this kid will be one leg short of a marathon! Um... that means Hippowdon will eat it! And the kid!"

Lucas cringed as he felt Hippowdon's drool all over him, the Hippowdon pulling him in its mouth even more.

"That's good!" B-2 said insanely. "We don't want any sudden movements here, anyway... it could trigger a seismic event, you know. This tunnel could collapse on us – well, not me, I'm one of lord Cyrus' chosen people! Now, let's see where to start... you!" B-2 yelled at the grunt who had ordered her Bronzong to attack Iris. "Go and tell Commander Saturn that we caught some prey! It was his job to make sure they didn't interfere, anyway!"

The grunt grumbled at having to take orders from B-2, but recalled her Bronzong and left anyway. With the other three grunts focused on B-2, Iris just realized something: what she had to do. Put away her preconceptions. And take a risk. Leaving the unconscious Fraxure where it was, Iris slipped behind a rock, B-2 too busy ranting to notice.

"Oh, I'll make Commander for this!" he rambled. "When the new world is upon us, all shall remember the ones who helped our new emperor to the seat of power! Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Charon and B-2! Ooh, I love the sound of that! No one shall mock my posterior anymore! Everyone will wear their hair like this! Team Galactic's name shall be forever etched in-"

Iris interrupted B-2's rambling as she lunged at Hippowdon, armed with nothing but a sharp rock. She threw herself on the ground-type and jammed the rock in its nostrils, knowing it could react in two ways. It would either open its mouth and let Lucas go... or bite down.

Fortunately, it did the former, roaring in pain and thrashing about, shaking Iris off. But the moment Iris had bought was enough: Lucas' Torterra bit its trainer by his shirt and dragged him away while Cynthia ordered her Glaceon to use Blizzard.

Iris wasn't sure how, but while she felt the chilling effects of Glaceon's attack as it raged all over the tunnel, the cold storm somehow avoided hitting anyone but the Galactic Grunts and their Pokémon, tossing them about like rag dolls until they were all unable to battle. During the confusion, Cynthia grabbed Iris' Fraxure and started running. When Iris and Lucas got back on their feet, the group started fleeing, Glaceon being the last to follow.

As Glaceon's Blizzard died down, B-2 and Hippowdon were the only ones left on the field. The vein on his forehead about to pop, B-2 yelled his final order to Hippowdon:

"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" he roared. "USE FISSURE!"

Without hesitation, B-2's Hippowdon slammed the ground at full force, causing the rock underneath and around them to crack.

But Iris and the rest had already gotten far enough to escape its effects, while the tunnel itself started shaking. B-2 only had time to look up in shock as part of the tunnel's ceiling above him collapsed, a ton of rocks burying him and his Hippowdon.

Seeing this made the group stop, Cynthia being the first to recover from the shock and withdraw her Glaceon.

"Thank you," she told it. "Now, as for him," she stared at the pile of rocks now blocking their exit, "I can't say he didn't know the risks..."

"Iris..." Lucas said shakily and grabbed Iris' hands, staring at her like she was a Goddess. "You saved me! Thank you! Thank you so-"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Iris said and pulled her hands free. "It was an intense situation and someone needed to do something. I mean, if anything I should be apologizing to you..."

"Huh? For what?"

"Well..." Iris looked away from Lucas. "That could have ended badly for you. What if Hippowdon had decided to chomp down?"

"Well, it didn't!" Lucas said cheerfully. "I'm okay now, aren't I?"

Iris frowned. "Well, um, yeah, I guess..."

"You can ruminate on this later!" Hilda snapped at her. "The others could already be with Cyrus, you know!"

The group continued on, Iris withdrawing her Fraxure. Since Dragalge was at its best in water and Excadrill was out of commission, Goodra was the only logical choice... but Iris wondered if the cold air around the summit could hamper its abilities. The four of them continued in complete silence through the dark tunnels, constantly moving higher and higher up the mountain.

Iris tried not to keep looking behind her as they climbed. With the rush of what she did behind her, Iris was forced to think about B-2. True, she knew that Latias had blown up most of Team Aqua back in Hoenn, but she hadn't really _seen_ anyone die before this. Sure, the man hadn't hesitated to try and kill them and he almost had Lucas bitten in half, not to mention that he caused the tunnel to collapse on his own.

 _But still..._ Iris couldn't help but feeling queasy. In some way, indirectly or not, she was responsible for it. Not to mention his Hippowdon! It was just doing what it was told, never hesitating to help its master. And yet, it had to suffer because of it.

"Are you okay?" Cynthia asked Iris suddenly.

Iris looked up at her – it was as if Cynthia had read her mind.

"I know how you're feeling," Cynthia said simply, "but you did the right thing. If you have to think of something, blame this on Team Galactic. You'll need that strength soon."

With those words etched in Iris' mind, the group got to the end of the tunnel and reached the summit. Not only was it dark out there, too, but it was snowing heavily, making visibility even poorer. Iris shuddered a bit, glad that she had come almost straight from Snowpoint City and still had her winter gear on.

_Was that really just earlier today...?_

Now out in the open, Cynthia seemed to know where to go, and started walking at a brisker pace. She didn't even need to read the map as she navigated through the endless bunch of snow-covered trees. Iris was glad she didn't have to lead – no matter where she turned, everything looked the same. In the distance, she could make out some city lights, making her wonder just how high they were.

As she walked, Iris also felt a strange sensation. It wasn't cold or fear – it was like she _knew_ there was something there that really didn't want them going any further. As much as she tried to push this thought out of her mind, it felt like something was whispering to her:

" _You cannot win_..."

Iris just shook her head and tried to ignore the voices, even when they got louder. After this had gone on for a while, Cynthia finally stopped, pointing her flashlight at something. It was difficult to see through the snow, but Iris could make out the ruins of a large, old temple. The roof had long since crumbled, leaving behind a lot of tall, stone pillars.

"The Spear Pillar," Cynthia explained. "This is the highest spot in Sinnoh, said to be the place where the region originated. Come on."

Cynthia started climbing up the stairs leading to the temple. Iris noted that the steps should have been covered with snow and ice, but couldn't see any of that. Relieved that she wouldn't have to worry about falling and breaking her neck, she looked up. Even in the darkness, Iris could make out two large silhouettes of something – they looked like statues of Pokémon.

"It doesn't look like Cyrus and the rest are here yet," Cynthia muttered. "Maybe we still have to time to spring a trap for-"

As soon as she said that, huge torches were lit in every corner of the temple, fully illuminating the area, and revealing that they had walked into a trap. Commanders Mars, Jupiter and Saturn stood before them, along with three Galactic Grunts. Behind them, holding the Red Chain like a scepter and standing next to a stone tablet, was Cyrus, his icy blue eyes boring at the group.

But what the group focused on were the things standing behind Cyrus and what Iris had assumed to be statues. Two massive Pokémon, both almost twenty feet tall, stood inertly. The other stood on four legs, being mostly dark blue with spiky metallic plates all over its body and a large diamond sticking out of the center of its chestplate.

The other was bipedal, mostly light purple, massive pink pearls sticking out of the plates on its shoulders. It also had a long neck and tail, as well as something resembling wings sticking out of its backs. Both Pokémon had proportionally tiny red eyes with black pupils that stared forward blankly, as if the Pokémon had been frozen still. Iris doubted they could be any more scarier even if they moved about.

When even Cynthia was unable to say anything to the situation, Cyrus merely snapped his fingers, and suddenly, the Spear Pillar became surrounded by small, black letter-shaped Pokémon, all with a single eye with no eyelids and apparently no other signs of a face, limbs or anything resembling humans or other Pokémon. The black Pokémon had the temple surrounded, floating in the air, casting a powerful shield on all sides – there was no escape.

"This should guarantee that we can continue uninterrupted," Cyrus said calmly. "You recognize these two Pokémon, don't you, Ms. Champion? Dialga, master of time," Cyrus pointed at the blue one with steel plates, "and Palkia, master of space," Cyrus gestured at the light purple one. "The Adamant and Lustrous Orbs allowed me to summon them," Cyrus pointed at the two orbs, laying seemingly harmless on the stone tablet next to him, "while the Red Chain guarantees my control of them."

"Yeah, I know them," Cynthia remarked coolly, "and I know these ugly little eyeballs surrounding us, too. They're Unown, right? I think I finally understand _what_ you're about to do. The real question is _why_?"

"So this incomplete and ugly world will disappear for good," Cyrus said simply. "I will reset everything, then reshape this world to fit my needs. Nothing as vague as spirit and emotion is allowed to remain."

Iris was struggling following the conversation. Her head was filled with whispering, as if dozens of voices, all sounding the same, were trying to tell her something. She looked around, trying to see if others heard it as well. Lucas apparently did, based on his panicked reactions, but Cynthia and Hilda just stared at Cyrus determinedly.

_What's happening?_

Cynthia scoffed at Cyrus. "Or so you _think_ will happen," she said coldly. "I know what's going to happen if you don't stop now. The barrier between the worlds will collapse and They will tear through. Still, even with Dialga and Palkia, you can only create a disturbance. Something else will be needed to open the portal... ah. Of course."

Iris had no idea how Cynthia could be so confident. Even Hilda was shivering as she eyed Dialga and Palkia, who looked like they could spring to life at any moment.

"Did you tell your troops that?" Cynthia asked. "Did you explain them how it works? To open a portal to the Distortion World, you need three things. Enough energy to create a disturbance, which these friendly dragons will give you. Knowledge of the formula, which They probably gave you. But enough blood drawn from humans and Pokémon is a bit trickier to get. I'm willing to bet you're going to use everyone in Sinnoh except for those who are inside this temple. Am I right?"

The three grunts started muttering among themselves. Even the Commanders looked shocked at this. Iris didn't understand most of what was being said, though, and it didn't look like anyone besides Cyrus did, either.

"Are you going to let them disturb the ceremony?" Cyrus asked his troops. "Do your jobs!"

"Yes, sir!"

Iris had to shake her head clear and prepare for battle. Cynthia was the fastest to react, and in a flash of red light, her Garchomp appeared. The three Grunts hesitated, but decided to send out all their Pokémon at her at once, ending up with Garchomp taking on six Pokémon simultaneously. Hilda and her Emboar took on Saturn and his Toxicroak, which left Iris and Lucas with Mars and Jupiter.

"Okay, Lucas," Iris said with her hand on Goodra's Poké Ball. "Are you ready for this? Uh, Lucas?"

Iris looked behind her: Lucas was ordering his Torterra to repeatedly attack the barrier the Unown had created. Even if Torterra seemed to realize the futility of it, Lucas was absolutely crazed, practically crying at his Pokémon.

"Lucas!" Iris shouted.

"No!" Lucas screamed. "We have to get out of there! We have to stop that voice! _Make it stop_!"

Lucas tried breaking through the barrier himself, but might as well have tried to ram through a brick wall. He then crouched down in a fetal position, hands on his ears while Torterra tried to get him to stand up. Iris shook her head – he wasn't going to be of use anymore.

She then turned to Jupiter and Mars, who already had their Skuntank and Purugly out, and sent out her Goodra. For their credit, they could have attacked Iris at any moment when her back was turned, but chose not to.

 _Perhaps this will still work_...

"You know, you could still do something about this!" Iris told the duo. "You clearly have no idea what your boss is up to!"

"Be quiet!" Mars snapped. "Cyrus trusts me in everything! Of course we know! He is building us a utopia, free of useless things!"

_Or not..._

But what Jupiter said next surprised Iris:

"You're right, kid."

"Jupiter!" Mars snapped.

"Well, she is," Jupiter said calmly. "He kept things from us, and I still don't have a clue of what's going on. _But_... I've come too far to stop now. I've dedicated so many years of my life to this gang, I will not let this stupid brat ruin things!"

"Goodra, Earthquake!"

The cheerful, goo-covered dragon-type pounded the ground to create a seismic wave, but Jupiter had Skuntank avoid it by jumping. Mars was able to wordlessly command Purugly to serve as a platform for Skuntank to land on and propel itself at Goodra at incredible speed, hurting it with Night Slash.

"No!" Iris yelled. "Use Muddy Water!"

But again, Mars and Jupiter's co-operation was seamless: they both ordered a Protect simultaneously, shielding themselves from the wave of brown water Goodra launched their way. Next, Mars had Purugly use Slash while Skuntank hung back. As powerful as it was, Goodra was too slow to dodge the incoming attacks, and Jupiter and Mars knew exactly which attacks would be the most painful.

 _There's no choice_ , Iris thought, _I have to use Draco Meteor_!

"Goodra!" she yelled. "Use Dr _ahhh_!"

Iris fell on her knees when the flurry of voices whispering in her head overwhelmed her senses; it was like a hundred voices were speaking to her at the same time. As Goodra turned to her in alarm, Purugly took it down with Body Slam while Jupiter launched a Poison Gas attack at Iris.

Though the voices soon stopped, Iris felt herself weakened and disoriented by the thick, purple gas that she accidentally breathed. As her Goodra fell, Iris herself fell too, the world looking blurry to her and Jupiter and Mars' voices sounding like they came from a distance away.

"Yes!" Mars cheered. "We did it! Come on, we have to help the boss!"

"Hold up, Mars," Jupiter said and stepped closer to Iris. "That annoying black-haired girl isn't here, so _someone_ has to pay for what she did to you and Purugly..."

"Uh... what do you mean?" Mars asked.

Even through the blur and spinning, Iris could see Cynthia finishing up her own battle on the background, the three grunts and their Pokémon laying unconscious on the ground. She the moved towards Cyrus, who had turned to some kind of... _hole_ floating in mid-air.

Even in her jumbled state, Iris was reminded of something Kris had told her. So many months ago, when Kris had fought the Masked Man at Mt. Silver, the Masked Man had ended up sucked inside a _portal_ of some kind... and the way Kris had described it looked like the thing Cyrus was talking into.

And while Iris couldn't see what was on the other side of the portal clearly, it was shrouded in black smoke, red eyes glowing through it, Iris making out six black wings, six, centipede-like legs and six sharp claws...

As Cynthia was about to attack Cyrus, however, the Galactic Boss lifted the Red Chain. The gemstones attached to the staff glowed, and Dialga and Palkia suddenly started moving. Cynthia paused in terror, but only briefly, quickly sending out her Togekiss, ordering it to fight Dialga while her Garchomp went after Palkia.

"Cynthia!" Hilda yelled at her, unable to help when Saturn's Toxicroak was still putting up a fight. "What are you doing?!"

"No choice!" Cynthia yelled back. "We have to fight them! I don't know how long I can hold out, so I could use a hand!"

" _She can't fight them_ ," one of the voices in Iris' head said, Iris hearing it over all the others. " _You'll all die here. It's better to give up_."

And, the more Iris started to slide into unconsciousness, the more she wanted to agree with the voice.

"See?!" she heard Jupiter say to Mars. "The boss has this. Come on!"

Iris cringed and closed her eyes as she felt Purugly's heavy paw land on her neck, feeling its claws in her skin.

"Hey, Jupiter, that's my Pokémon!" Iris heard Mars complain.

"That's right, and you will tell it to finish her _now_. It's the only way to make sure she doesn't interfere anymore."

"You serious? Come on, she's hardly a threat now! Didn't we agree already?"

Iris opened her eyes and looked up, past the Purugly and the squabbling Galactic Commanders standing above her. With the barrier around the temple, no one could reach her in time. It looked like this was it... and Iris' mind was too hazy to fight back.

The voice that still kept whispering to her had been right – it was useless to fight. It's like this was destined to happen.

"I don't like it either, but she's tried to stop us too many times now! If you really believe in our boss' super-amazing plan of a vague new world or whatever, tell Purugly to slash!"

"N-no! I couldn't..."

Iris narrowed her eyes. Something was flying above the temple, hitting the barrier constantly. Iris couldn't see what, just a blurry orange shape. But it looked like...

"Fine, I'll do it, then! Purugly, your master's chickening out on us, but I know you're smarter than her-"

"Hey!"

"-so bring out your claws and use Slash on her neck. And make it quick, I don't want to watch-"

"Jupiter!" Mars shrieked suddenly.

A sound like a quick sparkle of electricity was heard, and the blurry orange shape forced itself through the barrier above. Iris finally recognized it, but wasn't sure if this was just another hazy dream: a Dragonite was flying towards them, two people and a Pokémon riding on it. The Pokémon, big and blue with sharp claws and teeth, jumped off the Dragonite's back and let itself fall towards Jupiter and Mars, roaring like a wild beast.

Panicking, Jupiter and Mars ordered their Pokémon to fight back, but the Feraligatr was far more powerful. First, Croc picked up the Skuntank and carelessly tossed it aside like an old sock, hurling it at a pillar at full force. As Purugly tried to attack, Croc's massive fist glowed blue as it punched the feline Pokémon at full strength, sending it flying out of sight.

Looking absolutely feral, drool dripping down its chin, Croc looked like it was about to do the same to Jupiter and Mars – or possibly eat a part of them first – but someone else jumped off the Dragonite and grabbed Croc's arm.

"Easy there!" Kris told her Feraligatr. "I'd gladly tell you eat them otherwise... but I doubt you could digest those stupid uniforms!"

Jupiter and Mars quickly sent out their next Pokémon, a Bronzong each, leaving Kris and Croc's hands full with them. As Iris watched the fight, she felt someone grabbing her and pulling her on her feet tenderly while injecting something into her – Iris couldn't even feel the pain at first.

But a few seconds later, the pain came – and it felt _good_. The world wasn't blurry anymore and all the effects of Skuntank's Poison Gas were fading. Iris now saw clearly, as Dialga's attack finally landed on Togekiss and knocked it out with one blow. As Dialga was about to attack Cynthia directly, Lance and his Dragonite slammed against the legendary Pokémon at full force.

Iris saw Cynthia smile in relief before she went back to giving Garchomp advice as it fought Palkia – meaning it mostly tried to stay alive and dodge its attacks, Lance and Dragonite doing the same to Dialga. Iris looked behind her to see who had helped her, seeing Lunick smiling at her.

"I've seen Team Galactic do that to people before," he explained calmly. "Why bother poisoning the Pokémon when you can go directly for the trainer. Sick bastards. You okay?"

"Y-yeah," Iris said weakly – she was still getting used to not being half-dead.

"Sorry we took so long," Lunick said cheerfully. "We didn't run into that many grunts – we just took _way_ too many wrong turns. That's what you get when we let Kris read the map. But I'd say she's making up for it – just look at that!"

Croc was holding its own against the two Bronzong surprisingly well, Kris giving it commands and focused completely on the battle – and considering what she had done to Purugly and Skuntank, she wouldn't hesitate to be as brutal as possible.

"Aww, damn it!" Lunick swore suddenly.

Two Galactic Grunts and two more Bronzong (Iris could swear Team Galactic had a factory pumping them out somewhere) were running towards the temple now that the Unown barrier was gone.

"I'll deal with them, you back Kris up!" Lunick said and sent out his Sceptile, then charging at the two stunned Galactic Grunts while screaming like a maniac.

Iris was overwhelmed by the situation. She could hardly hear herself think over the constant screaming of orders and explosions caused by attacks, Dialga and Palkia in particular destroying pillars and breaking the temple down even more while trying to obliterate Dragonite and Garchomp. Hilda had apparently dealt with Saturn, and she and Emboar were now busy when two more Galactic Grunts were joining the fight.

Trying to get a grip, Iris grabbed Dragalge Poké Ball. It was the only Pokémon Iris had left, and she wasn't at all sure how useful it would be – especially against the Bronzong. Still, it was better than nothing, so Iris started running to Kris' aid... but was pushed aside by someone else.

Dawn and Lucas were also running to the same direction, followed by Empoleon and Torterra. Dawn was leading Lucas by the hand, and though Lucas' eyes were red and puffy, he had at least snapped out of his funk.

"We'll take on those two!" Dawn promised Iris. "You and Kris go after Cyrus!"

"You sure?!" Iris asked, glancing at Lucas.

But Lucas just nodded at Iris, and together with Dawn, rushed to help Kris. Iris _really_ wanted to know what Dawn had said to him to get him out of it, but there would be time to ask later.

 _For now_ , Iris thought, _we can only fight_.

When Lucas and Dawn took over the battle against Jupiter and Mars, Kris hadn't even waited for Iris, but had immediately started running towards Cyrus. She didn't even seem to notice or care about the two massive dragon Pokémon battling the Champions or the creepy red-eyed creature staring from the portal next to Cyrus. Kris had even left Croc to his own devices, Iris noticing it had gone to help Lunick fight the Galactic Grunts while Kris was already sending out her next Pokémon.

Whatever it was, Iris couldn't see it, as while she was running after Kris, someone had grabbed her ankles and made her fall.

It was Saturn, who was also on the ground, a big, bleeding wound on his face, his Toxicroak laying unconscious slightly away from him.

"I will not..." Saturn croaked at Iris. "Let you harm... the boss..."

Iris kicked Saturn's hand away with her free leg and got up, but Saturn was also quickly back on his feet and grabbed Iris' hand, while he used his free hand to grab a big knife.

Iris winced – but before Saturn could stab Iris, he was tackled by Croc. The Feraligatr used its tall, muscular arms to force Saturn to drop the knife as it sank its teeth into the Galactic Commander's neck. Iris gasped in horror, but the Feraligatr gave her a meaningful look. If it could talk, Iris was sure it would say just what Kris and Cynthia would: 'keep moving!'.

"Thanks!" Iris told Croc, who just nodded, dropped Saturn and went after its next opponent: Mars. Though Mars was busy having her Bronzong fight Dawn's Empoleon, she had time to shriek when the huge water-type came her way. Deciding that she didn't want to watch and trusting Croc to restrain itself enough, Iris started running towards Cyrus again.

Iris was now close to Kris, who was fighting Cyrus himself. More specifically, Shrew was in the middle of fighting Cyrus' Weavile while Kris herself hid behind her Snorlax, who stood between Kris and Cyrus' Crobat like a meat shield. The big normal-type outright _chuckled_ as Crobat's attacks bounced harmlessly off its belly.

"Kris!" Iris shouted as she was about to send out her Dragalge.

"Wait!" Kris yelled.

Iris stopped. Kris looked oddly panicked, her face dripping with sweat as she hid behind Snorlax's leg.

"I would suggest you do," Cyrus said calmly. "Not that it matters, but you'll at least get to see your world crumble before you. Once my benefactor, Lord Giratina, is able to escape its confinement, it will melt the Distortion World and this world together. And then, everything will end and _everything_ will begin. The dawn of a new age is upon us! You should rejoice instead of engaging in this useless resistance."

" _Do it now..._ "

Iris heard the voice from the portal whisper again. Just like Hilda and Cynthia, Kris didn't seem to hear it or even notice the portal – but clearly she sensed that _something_ was off.

"Yes, my lord," Cyrus said and raised the Red Chain again. All the jewels glowed bright red, bathing the temple in blinding red light. "Palkia, Spacial Rend! Dialga, Roar of Time!"

What happened next happened so fast Iris couldn't describe it – she could only hit the deck to escape the powerful blast of heat and light. By the time she opened her eyes, all fighting had stopped. Cynthia and her Garchomp as well as Lance and his Dragonite were down on the ground, unable to battle. And so were Hilda, Lunick, Dawn, Lucas, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and all the grunts. Only Kris, Iris, Cyrus, Snorlax, Shrew and Cyrus' Pokémon seemed to be able to stand.

Next, Dialga and Palkia rose into the air and floated until they were well above the temple. Free of all obstacles, as Cyrus pointed at them with the Red Chain, the two dragon-type Pokémon started fighting each other instead.

"You didn't think two humans could possibly take on the masters of time and space?" Cyrus asked. "That kind of perseverance is admirable... but at the same time, it's a perfect example of the spirit I wish to crush. We humans will keep on fighting, repeating our cycle of violence, doing the same thing and expecting different results, even when we know we cannot win. But that all ends today. Crobat, Weavile, deal with the rest!"

Shrew tried to launch a Rollout at Weavile, but Weavile's Ice Punch sent it flying the other way instead. However, Snorlax used an Ice Punch of its own, knocking out Cyrus' Crobat. When Weavile tried to attack Snorlax, the large bear let itself fall on its enemy, crushing Weavile under its weight.

Withdrawing his two Pokémon, Cyrus glanced at Snorlax.

"Interesting," he muttered. "By my calculations, your Snorlax should have lost. It seems to be abnormal member of its species... but it still follows the same rules."

Cyrus pointed at Snorlax with the Red Chain, and launched a red beam of energy from it. The destructive beam knocked Snorlax out in an instant, leaving Kris calling out its name in anguish as she withdrew it.

"I could have destroyed it," Cyrus said coldly, "but I must prioritize. There is a far bigger threat for my plans in front of me. The one who holds the spore of Darkrai..."

Cyrus aimed the Red Chain at Kris.

"...die!" Cyrus said.

When Iris acted next, she threw all reason and caution in the wind. It didn't make sense: Cyrus was focused on Kris. Iris could have gotten out of there easily.

Cynthia had a point: sometimes, there would come a time when one had to put ethics aside. Sometimes, it truly was smarter to save yourself instead of others. As much as one could try to save everyone, sometimes that just couldn't be done.

But none of that rhetoric made a difference to Iris when it came to saving the first true friend she ever had.

Iris managed to reach Kris and grab her hand, but as she tried to pull him away, she could see the red beam of energy coming towards her. Even if she knew it was pointless, she closed her eyes and threw herself on the ground, pulling Kris with her as all she could see was a red flash.

**~o~O~o~**

_"Think about the Lyra's sweet tears when you humiliate her at the Silver Conference!" Iris said. "But that can't happen unless you go out there and_ _train_ _!"_

_..._

_"Thank you," Kris said firmly. "Thanks for all the knowledge you gave me, for all the tutoring and probably saving my life back in Blackthorn. If there's anything I can do-"_

_"Yeah, take me with you to Hoenn!" Iris said immediately. "And sheesh, why so formal? We're friends, right?"_

_"Friends..." Kris smiled. "Yeah, of course we are!"_

...

_"I'll miss you," Kris muttered at Iris awkwardly._

_"Ah, shucks, you don't have to say anything," Iris said. "Really, we still have a good two months before the Hoenn League starts. You can visit me here once you have those last two badges, right? And then we'll challenge the Hoenn League together!"_

…

_"No," Kris said. "You can't take all the blame. I was being way too confident for my own good. I let them steal the other orb. And the way I was treating her Purugly..." Kris paused to sigh. "...I may as well have given it to them. Besides, if you hadn't trusted her... well, you wouldn't be you. I guess that wound kinda suck. Maybe."_

**~o~O~o~**

Iris quickly came to her senses, the blast having only stunned her when, by all logic, it should have blown both Kris and Iris to kingdom come. It even practically melted the stone floor below them. But _something_ had raised a protective shield around Kris and Iris.

That something were three pixie-like Pokémon, Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf, that circled around Kris and Iris while glaring at Cyrus. The eyes of all three started glowing, and without warning, the Red Chain was yanked out of Cyrus' hand.

That was Shrew's time to shine. The little ground-type curled into a ball and spun into the Red Chain, sending it flying away before Cyrus could grab it back. Croc, badly injured by the attack of the dragons but still fighting, grabbed the Red Chain into its mouth and chomped down, snapping it in half.

For once, Cyrus showed emotion, his face contorted in rage as he looked up at Dialga and Palkia, who stopped fighting as soon as they were out of Cyrus' control. The Adamant and Lustrous Orbs faded away while two portals opened above Dialga and Palkia, the Pokémon of time and space being sucked inside before the portals closed.

The portal behind Cyrus was about to close as well. As a quick desperate measure, Cyrus grabbed the two halves of the Red Chain at his feet, and before anyone could stop him, leaped into the portal and was sucked into the Distortion World, the portal closing behind him.

With their job done, Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf disappeared one by one as well. Their debt had been repaid. After recovering from what had happened, Kris and Iris just stared at each other in confusion. What both wanted to do now more than ever was just to fall down and sleep the events of the day off.

But sadly, there was still stuff to be done. One by one, Kris and Iris got their comrades, human and Pokémon, to their feet. It took a while for Iris to realize that the whole mountain was bathed in a dim orange glow – the sun was rising. They had traveled through Mt. Coronet and fought Team Galactic all night.

And with the sunrise, came the spectators. First, agents of the International Police poured into the temple, led by an agent Iris had remembered seeing on TV: detective Looker.

Despite the wounds he and his Dragonite had suffered, Lance was the first to face the IP, assuring Looker that the crisis was over. He then helped them round up the defeated and injured Galactic members. Even Saturn was still alive, Croc having made sure to only incapacitate him. However, Jupiter and Mars were nowhere to be seen, and when told of this, Lance left the mountain immediately to go after them.

As Iris was about to go thank Dawn and Lucas for their efforts, Cynthia put a hand on her shoulder.

"The International Police will want to question you for this," Cynthia said quietly. "What happened here today was nothing more than Team Galactic using Regigigas to commit a terrorist action and then hiding out here. We can say they 'attempted to harness the power of legendary Pokemon for terrorist actions'."

"I... I honestly don't know _what_ happened here," Iris told her.

Cynthia nodded. "I know. I'll explain it all to you later. Right now, we need to get you and the others to a doctor."

That would have to wait a bit, though, as in the International Police's footsteps, the media arrived – Cheren's doing, no doubt. As tired as she was, Kris was urged to talk to them by Cynthia, who would give them the "official version" of what had happened there. Iris was all too happy to give Kris her spot in the limelight – she had truly earned it.

As she tended to her Goodra, Iris heard a snippet of Kris' interview with the swarm of reporters:

"...assisted the Champion with her efforts to defeat Team Galactic," Kris told them. "I led the operation to infiltrate Team Galactic's HQ in Veilstone City and exposed their plan."

Iris smiled as she walked past the reporters. _At least there's_ some _truth to that_...

"Incredible! Did you and the Champion do this on your own?" a reporter asked her.

"Not at all!" Kris said. "In fact, I couldn't have done it without... Iris, hey, come over here!"

Iris stared at Kris, unsure of how to take it, but the reporters soon swarmed around her as well, Kris putting her arm on Iris' shoulders.

"Me and her personally fought Team Galactic's Commanders and uncovered the identity of their leader!" Kris told the media.

"Miss, could you tell us about yourself, please?" a reporter asked Iris.

"Um... well, my name is Iris, I'm a dragon tamer from Unova," Iris said awkwardly. "I, uh, come from the Village of Dragons-"

"The Village of Dragons?!" the reporter wondered. "I've been to Unova many times and never heard about that place!"

Iris' face brightened. _This is my chance_.

"That's because the people in charge would rather wish we didn't exist," she said. "The village and our lifestyle is constantly threatened by..."


	17. Sinnoh League Victors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> High off her earlier victory and resulting fame, Kris travels to compete in the Sinnoh Pokémon League, while Iris informed about the true nature of the evil powers Cyrus was meddling with

_**Location: Route 223, en route to the Sinnoh League, Sinnoh (duh!)** _

" _Kris' log, day 25 in Sinnoh. WHOOOOO!"_

" _Sorry, my excitement leaked on the paper. But I don't care. WHOOOO! The past few days have been WILD! I don't care who gets bored listening to me. I DID IT! Okay,_ we _did it together, I mean, I might have received some help from Iris and Lunick and Cynthia and Lance and Hilda… you know what, I think I was still_ _the_ _key player!"_

" _But the important thing is that Cheren kept his promise. That reporters who suddenly_ _swarmed_ _Mt. Coronet_ _after I - WE -_ _beat Cyrus w_ _ere_ _apparently sent by him, and he made sure I was interviewed by every media in Sinnoh – and_ _beyond!_ _We had to go with the 'official story' Cynthia laid out for us, but I don't care. I mean, it made_ me _look better!"_

" _ME!"_

"How many exclamation marks do you need?!"

Kris flinched and quickly hid her journal in her bag as she saw Hilda peeking at what she was writing. She was sitting in a van, right between Hilda and Iris, Hilda driving the group to the Sinnoh League. They, along with Dawn and Lucas (who sat in the back), were 'guests of honor', which certainly didn't help curtailing Kris' ego. Lunick was invited too, but once again, he had vanished somewhere. Kris hadn't even noticed that until after waking up at the nearest Pokémon Center after a modest 14-hour nap.

"Keep your eye on the road!" Kris snapped, to which Hilda shrugged but did as told. "And it's rude to read someone's diary!"

"I wanted to see if you mentioned me," Hilda said casually. "Or anyone other than yourself."

"Wait, what?!" Iris said and turned to look at Kris, having zoned out staring out from the van's window. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing important," Kris hissed and glared at Hilda. "So you're not gonna even let me feel proud of my accomplishments?"

"Hey, you did a lot, don't get me wrong," Hilda said. "Mostly thanks to being suicidal about it and saved by those Pokémon conveniently appearing – and almost dragging Iris along with you!"

"Hey, we're okay now, aren't we?" Iris said, like the idea of narrowly avoiding getting disintegrated was nothing to worry about. "And it's because Kris was compassionate enough to help those Pokémon that we survived! _Not_ dumb luck!"

"Thanks, Iris," Kris said sincerely.

"Of course, getting them out in the first place was nothing _but_ dumb luck," Iris continued.

"Thanks, Iris," Kris said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well," Hilda said dismissively, "I still think-"

"Shh!"

Kris interrupted Hilda and turned up the radio volume:

" _And coming up next, an exclusive interview with young Kris from New Bark Town, who, with the help of her mighty Feraligatr Croc, almost single-handedly saved our region from certain doom..._ "

"Exclusive," Hilda snorted in contempt. "You mean they re-edited the same spiel you gave to everyone else. Some hero you are, not even a victory speech prepared or anything."

"I don't care what you say, Hilda," Kris said and leaned back as she listened to her own gloating from the radio. "Nothing could spoil my day now."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Sunyshore City, Sinnoh** _

Wes entered the office specified in the instructions he had received. It was an unlocked, completely darkened room with no one around. Wes came to regret his decision as soon as he stepped further into the room as he heard the door close and lock behind him.

" _No need to be alarmed, Wesley_."

Cheren suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. Wes reacted immediately, charging at him and attempting to grab him, intending to force him to spill out everything he knew and stop playing around... only to find himself grabbing thin air and falling face-first on the floor while Cheren looked on condescendingly.

" _Holographic projection_ ," he said simply. " _Everyday thing_ _in my business. I'm already back home in Unova._ "

Wes dragged himself up, dusted himself off and muttered a few choice words at Cheren under his breath. Apparently the hidden microphones in the room were even better than usual, though, as Cheren raised his eyebrows.

" _Wesley_!" he scolded. " _I thought we had something_! _And why are you angry at me? Our friend Kris made front page news! Why not let her enjoy her fifteen minutes?_ "

"You might want to tell me _what_ all this is about, then?" Wes asked venomously. "We being such good buddies and all? What's the point of making Kris the media's flavor of the month?"

" _She wanted it_ ," Cheren said simply.

"Well, who wouldn't?" Wes scoffed. "But you never do anything out of the goodness of your heart. What do you get out of this? Or am I just 'too stupid to get the master plan' or something?"

" _Yes_ ," Cheren said, " _but I'll tell you anyway, once the time is right. For now,_ _we'll have to speed up our plan._ _You must make sure she trusts you enough to-_ "

"Come _on_!" Wes interrupted. "Can't you just reveal your plan to her already. This... this isn't right."

Cheren stared at Wes over his glasses, lowering them a bit.

" _This_ is _the right guy I'm talking to, right? Because you're beginning to sound mighty out-of-character, there._ _Do you want us to get to the bottom of Navel Rock or not?_ "

Wes bit his lip. Cheren hadn't brought up his leverage over Wes so blatantly in a while. But every time he did, it reminded Wes of just how fragile his position was.

" _Good_ ," Cheren continued, taking Wes' silence as agreement. " _She and the others will be at the Sinnoh League. Should, say, a terrorist of some kind strike there, having you be there to help them would definitely be money in the bank for our plan._ "

"Ter-" Wes glared at Cheren. "What have you planned?"

Cheren just smiled mysteriously at Wes, who sighed.

"All right, that Mr. Mystery act may work on some boys," Wes said with a hint of smile, "but I have to get a clear answer to something. Why are you doing this in the first place?"

" _Ah, memories_ ," Cheren said in a fake-wistful voice. " _I've mentioned that I was a trainer, right? And I was on close terms with Hilda? Good. Yes, our gang started out from Nuvema Town. A_ _t the time, I pursued the ideal of strength. I figured that if I didn't become stronger, the journey would have been worthless._ _By the time I met Unova's champion, though... well, he helped me see it in a different way._ _Now I realized something else. Strength, power and everything related are merely the means to my end: breaking this world free from the rule of our oppressors, the ones who wish to rewrite history as they see it, our decisions be damned!_ "

"Nice speech," Wes yawned, "but you have to be a little more convincing. You want me to believe that things would be better if _you_ were in a charge? Like, you'd be magically immune to corruption?"

Cheren pondered Wes' words. " _Good point_ ," he said. " _Even people with the greatest intentions soon start believing their own lives. What's the point of ending a dictatorship if the replacement is even worse? Perhaps our world would be better without leaders... but then, you've seen the end result of that kind of governance in Orre, haven't you_?"

Wes grumbled a response under his breath. "Yeah, I don't want to put anyone else through that, I guess..."

" _Well, I hope that answered your questions, at least_ ," Cheren said, suddenly sounding very chipper. " _I expect a report from you soon. Bye_!"

As Cheren's hologram vanished, the lights in the room suddenly went on and the door was unlocked. Wes scoffed.

"Smug bastard," he groaned.

" _I still haven't cut the audio, you know_ ," came the amused response through the speakers.

Wes grumbled some more.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Route 224, Sinnoh** _

As Eusine's expensive car came to a halt at Route 224, four people jumped out of it: Eusine, Leaf, Silver and Marley, the latter having acted as a guide. The beautiful little peninsula by the sea filled with flowers was deserted, as it had been even after the police re-opened it for the public.

Marley led the others up a cliff by the sea, ignoring Eusine's ranting about the sea air not agreeing with his hair, showing them a large white rock near the edge of the cliff. The rock, taller than the average person and even wider than it was tall, was full of little carvings.

"...this is a protected site, though no one in Sinnoh would dare vandalize it, so there's no one standing guard," Marley explained in her usual monotone. "...people come here to write words of gratitude, wishing on the rock, that kind of thing... I haven't seen it in years, so this brings me back... I'm happy to be here again..."

It was a good thing she said that, as her tone was nothing to go by.

"So the Champions should have written something here as well?" Silver asked.

"...yes... it's a tradition..."

Silver nodded and walked over to the rock. Indeed, in the middle of it, there was a space marked specifically for Champions. Numerous names and little quotes had been scribbled in tiny letters, and as Silver browsed through them, he found a name he recognized at the bottom: Cynthia. And, as Silver assumed, right above that was another name, unfamiliar to Silver and mostly faded away. The quotation, however, was still intact – and it wasn't the first time Silver had read this particular phrase:

" _Live for yourself, and no other. Strength of the many for the strength of one._ "

Silver stared at the quote for a long time, though his mind was somewhere else entirely. It took Leaf tapping him on the shoulder three times to snap him out of it.

"Huh?" Silver exclaimed, and immediately became embarrassed. "Oh, um, sorry..."

"It's okay," Leaf smiled, "but did you find what you were looking for?"

"Y-yes," Silver said quietly.

"So you know who he is now?"

"I think so. But I'd like to be sure before I... um..."

"I understand," Leaf assured Silver and looked over her shoulder to watch Eusine crawl on the ground, staring at the dirt through a magnifying glass and muttering about seeing 'clear markings of Suicune paw prints'. "So, do you want to go see Bertha now?"

"But... what about the reason you're here. Suicune and everything...?"

"We talked this over with Eusine while you stared at the rock. Right, Eusine?!"

"Too true!" Eusine exclaimed and leaped back up again. "I suspect dear Kris is in the Sinnoh League by now, based on that modest interview she gave. While I would love to meet her myself, I've agreed to have Leaf deliver my message to her in my stead."

"...did you say ' _dear_ Kris'?" Silver asked incredulously.

"I said no such thing!"

"Right. Carry on."

"In return for this kind gesture," Eusine proclaimed, "I have agreed to investigate things for Leaf. We're working towards the same end, after all: to clear the name of the most beautiful of the legendary beasts."

"If that's how you want to see it, sure," Leaf muttered and turned to Marley. "Is it okay to borrow you for a while? We need to get to the Pokémon League."

"...of course... we'll be there pretty quickly on foot..."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Sinnoh Pokémon League** _

The Pokémon League of Sinnoh was the most extravagant of the ones Kris had seen so far. It was built inside a large castle resembling a Gothic-style cathedral, and in place of a courtyard, they had a stadium that easily rivaled the ones in Ever Grande City and Mt. Silver.

Even better, Kris and her entourage were given access to a luxurious private sky box where they could follow the tournament from, allowing for the best view of the whole stadium. Cynthia herself escorted Kris, Iris, Dawn and Lucas there, having said that 'a friend' was waiting for them there.

That 'friend' turned out to be Barry, shouting motivational slogans at his Infernape who pummeled on a punching bag hanging from the ceiling. The moment Barry noticed their arrival and opened his mouth, Kris felt annoyed.

"About time!" Barry said, not wasting time in idle chitchat. "Ms. Cynthia got us the best seats in the house! And that's not all! We'll get to battle people, too! Without any badges! Imagine that!"

Lucas waved at his friend, but Dawn didn't look too pleased. " _'Us_ '? ' _We_ '?!" she snapped. "I don't remember seeing _you_ on Mt. Coronet with us!"

"I was an integral part in the Veilstone operation!" Barry protested. "I risked my life for that! _And_ , without me, you'd have never known that Cyrus was the one in charge."

"Yes we would," Kris argued. "All I'm hearing is 'blah blah blah, I'm a coward'."

"I'm not a coward!" Barry yelled.

"Lay off the coward, okay?" Cynthia said calmly. "Fact is, he still helped when he had more than enough reason not to, and for that, I felt it appropriate to reward him. Now, Kris, for you, we agreed to a deal that might prove mutually beneficial. I'm sure any one of the contestants who signed up for this tournament are eager to battle the hero who saved Sinnoh, so feel free to choose anyone to go up against. We'll get a nice show from it and it makes my job easier."

Cynthia grabbed a remote controller from a nearby table and used it to activate a large screen hanging from the wall. Soon, she brought up the names and mugshots of all 64 contestants in the Sinnoh League. Browsing through them, Cynthia also brought up more detailed descriptions of them, like stuff about where they were from and what other tournaments they had competed in.

"Of course, you don't have to choose at this moment," Cynthia said as she flipped through the contestants, "there's still plenty of time to-"

"Her!" Kris said suddenly.

Cynthia stopped browsing as the info on Lyra from New Bark Town came to the screen. Kris eyes were fixed on the image. She just realized that the two hadn't had a battle since the Silver Conference. Ever since then, Kris' strength had grown immensely – in her opinion, anyway – while Lyra had done nothing but avoid conflict and danger. Today, in front of thousands of viewers... Kris would prove that.

"Kris, are you sure?" Iris asked. "Unlike you, she's been training the whole time she's been in Sinnoh. _And_ she got farther than you in the previous tournaments."

"Why, thanks for reminding me," Kris grumbled. "This time is different, though. She may have 'trained', but I did something she can't recreate. Taking down Team Galactic should have been more than enough."

"I'll go tell her," Cynthia said. "Of course, you can only battle her if she agrees to it."

"She will," Kris said as she stared at Lyra's inanely smiling face on the monitor.

Before Cynthia could leave, though, the doors to the sky box were opened, and a large man with long red and orange hair stepped in, shouting his jovial greeting. He was accompanied by Hilda, who looked slightly annoyed at the man's antics.

"Cynthia, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Alder exclaimed. "The opening ceremony will begin shortly!"

"Caitlin will handle most of the affairs for me," Cynthia assured.

"Oh, she will?!" Alder said and strode over to Cynthia, ignoring everyone else in the room. "Well, if she has everything under control, what do you say we ditch this silly tournament and go grab a meal together, Cynthia?"

"Feel free to eat by yourself, as always," Cynthia countered icily.

Alder, though, just burst into laughter. "Cool as always!" he chuckled. "I'm looking forward to this. How many years has it been since we've judged a tournament together, hmm?"

"I'd rather you talk about what we discussed," Cynthia said. "We still have a spot for you in-"

"Kris!" Alder yelled out suddenly and walked over to the girl in question, shaking her hand unnecessarily roughly while hitting her shoulder with almost dislocating force. "I heard you just passed another trial! There are people talking about your exploits all the way in Unova!"

"Why wouldn't there be?" Kris answered modestly and subtly pulled herself out of Alder's grip. "Uh, wait, what? What do you mean by I passed-"

But Alder had pretty much forgotten Kris and was now shaking Iris' hand. "And dear Iris!" he shouted, even though Iris was right next to him. "Drayden hasn't stopped talking about you since you left. I hope you're planning on taking over the gym soon! Please, do tell me everything you've done in Sinnoh!"

Iris looked baffled. "Um..."

Cynthia stepped in to save her, though. "Who would you wish to battle, Iris?"

"Oh, actually, I don't think I'll be participating," Iris said, practically feeling Kris' bewilderment at this. "I was hoping we could talk a bit more, Cynthia. Um... if that's okay..."

Cynthia smiled. "I'll see what I can do. I'm a judge here and I have to battle the winner of this tournament, so it's not going to be easy to make time. But I'll try to make myself available."

"Mr. Alder, I'm pretty sure you have some arrangements to do yourself, too," Hilda cut in – that was the most polite Kris had ever heard her.

Alder sighed. "Yes, yes, I'm coming. Nice meeting you all!"

But as Alder left, Hilda stayed at the door.

"After this, I'm getting back to Unova," she told Kris and Iris. "I doubt we'll be meeting again. But, I have to say, traveling a bit with you guys was... not terrible. Or whatever."

"What did Alder mean when he said I passed another trial?" Kris asked.

"Don't you know, Kris?!" Iris snapped. "The compassion you showed on those poor captive Pokémon was definitely a show of-"

" _Or_ Alder had a little drinky-winky at breakfast," Hilda said. "That's the more likely scenario."

"You really love to bring me down, don't you?" Kris laughed.

"It's what I do. Goodbye, Iris, Kris, everyone."

"Later, Hilda."

Hilda narrowed her eyes at Kris' choice of words, but Kris could have sworn that she also smiled a bit before leaving the room.

**~o~O~o~**

A few hours later, the Sinnoh League was well underway. Kris had seen it all by now, though. The MC's announcing the obvious, newbies thinking they were 'hot stuff' or whatever, some lousy half-time shows. Well, less lousy this time as Cynthia had promised the audience a spectacular battle fought by one of Sinnoh's heroes.

So no pressure or anything.

Kris was inspecting her Pokémon before her upcoming match, having received a note from Cynthia with the words ' _she's in_ '. It would be a three-on-three match, though, so Kris decided to leave Shrew out of it, knowing it wouldn't battle Lyra's Typhlosion. Shrew didn't seem to mind, as it seemed more than happy to just lay around and let Kris scratch its belly as she went through her Pokémon. Croc would definitely take part, and Kris was busy making sure its teeth were in top-notch shape. Kris still remembered a time when she wouldn't stick her hand in that Pokémon's mouth even when paid to do it, but now Croc stood there patiently with its mouth open as Kris went through it.

For Snorlax, Kris just asked it if it wanted to fight and it gave a nod before crawling to the corner where it 'gathered strength' with a long nap. As useful as Snorlax had been, Kris had decided to send it back to Elm later, as her wallet couldn't take much more of it. Finally, Kris decided to use Gardevoir, as Kris wanted to make it feel like what it was like to get some victories, fearing the psychic-type would stop trusting her if she kept losing with it. Even now, Gardevoir was treating Kris coolly, reluctantly agreeing to show its moves and condition.

While Kris was busy going over the moves her Pokémon had, she didn't even notice Leaf entering the room. Deciding to have a little fun, Leaf stealthily moved over behind Kris and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Guess wh-"

"OH ARCEUS!" Kris shrieked and put her hands up in surrender without turning around. "JUST TAKE MY MONEY! I ADMIT IT! I'M A FRAUD!"

"Um, Kris," Leaf said quietly and walked around Kris so she could make eye contact, "it's me."

Kris put her hands down again and smiled apologetically. "Hey, Leaf," she muttered. "I was just kidding around, you know that."

"Nervous?" Leaf asked.

"Hm? No, no, not at all," Kris said with a high-pitched voice and turned away from Leaf. "Lyra should be, though. She's got a surprise coming. Oh yes. Oh, for heaven's sake, Shrew!"

Shrew had been pulling on Leaf's sock the whole time, desperately wanting attention. Laughing, Leaf picked up the ground-type in her arms and petted it.

"I have a message for you, actually," she told Kris. "It's from Eusine."

"Oh, great, let me guess," Kris sighed. "Raikou, right?"

Leaf snorted. "You gotta love a passion like that, though, right?" she said quietly. "I think I lost mine years ago."

Kris felt uncomfortable that someone only a year older than her was talking like some cynical old world-weary person.

"Anyway," Leaf continued, "Eusine is convinced that Suicune did not kill anyone, just like you. You know that I have interest in this case as well, right?" Leaf asked quickly, to which Kris nodded. "Good. I want to find whoever killed those people and bring them to justice personally. I don't think I have anything else going for me right now. But..."

Leaf passed some papers to Kris, who groaned – she didn't feel like reading some boring crap at the brink of a conclusive battle.

"The gist of it is," Leaf explained, and Kris sighed in relief, "that the evidence against Suicune is overwhelming. The victims had markings similar to those caused by the claws of a canine Pokémon roughly Suicune's size, the Pokémon's presence was confirmed by eyewitnesses and even Eusine himself seems to be convinced that no matter what happened, Suicune _was_ there. And don't forget how the war almost forty years ago started."

"I already know all that," Kris muttered and tossed the papers aside for now. "That all he wanted to tell me, then?"

"No. He also said he'd get to the bottom of the case but that he can't do it alone. He needs you for it. He says you're much closer to Suicune than he is. And coming out of him-"

"Yeah, he's dead serious now," Kris muttered. "Still, that'll have to wait. I have a battle coming up. This is still very important to me, but I don't want any further distractions."

Sighing, Kris sat on the nearest chair and took a sip of water.

"So, how are you doing?" she asked as casually as she could muster. "And Silver, too, of course. Where is he?"

"Still after his father," Leaf said. "I think he's found out who he is, but he refuses to tell anyone else. He's around here somewhere, I think. As for me..."

But the door was then opened again, with much more force than with Leaf. A girl of Kris' height and build with brown, pigtailed hair and brown eyes marched in, eyes fixed on Kris. And at that moment, Kris forgot Leaf's existence entirely, focusing on the arrival. When Lyra walked over to Kris, Leaf rubbed her neck awkwardly.

"Well, uh," she mumbled. "It, uh, looks like I should... bye!"

Kris didn't even notice Leaf leaving. She and Lyra stared each other for a while, until Lyra was the first to open her mouth. Kris was sure it was going to be a cliché line about how Kris should give it her all to at least give a proper challenge or whatever. But instead...

"Whew, good to see you again," Lyra said with a cheerful smile. "Good work with Team Galactic, by the way. Hope your 15 minutes in Sinnoh are at least a bit longer than mine in Hoenn."

Kris thought she was going to pop another forehead vein.

"You know we're going to battle in just a few minutes, right?!" she ranted at Lyra.

"Oh, totally," Lyra said calmly. "I knew you couldn't survive without me. And our last real battle was so much fun, too."

The door was slammed open again before Kris could counter (not that she had anything ready), with some random stagehand announcing that Kris and Lyra's battle was in five minutes and that the two needed to get ready.

"Right," Kris grumbled as the stagehand left. "Good luck then, I guess."

"Same to you," Lyra said pleasantly.

What Kris didn't see as she left the room, though, was Lyra immediately rushing to the nearest bathroom to throw up.

**~o~O~o~**

Meanwhile, at the top seats in the house reserved for the judges, right above the booths of the announcers, Iris was talking with Cynthia, still trying hard not to blush over the fact that _she was frickin' talking to Cynthia_! Iris was asking about Cynthia's Garchomp, trying not to annoy her, while Cynthia answered back politely but still casually, like she was talking to an equal.

Even more amazingly, all these famous people were sitting next to them. Alder was there with his arms folded as he gazed over the stadium. Sitting next to him, just as in the Silver Conference and the Hoenn League, was Sird, who was busy with her phone, probably doing important business-type stuff. And next to Sird was a member of Unova's Elite Four, Lady Caitlin, a young woman in a dazzling pink outfit with ridiculously long blonde and curly hair. Caitlin seemed to be on the verge of dozing off and seemed uninterested in the tournament, but Iris had spotted her talking with Cynthia quite eagerly before.

Finally, the half-time show was ready to start. Lyra had battled someone before and made it to the next round – she was still in as great shape as she had ever been. The announcer's voice boomed throughout the stadium:

" _Welcome to the Sinnoh League Tournament's half-time show! We've seen our fair of spectacular battles today_ -"

"The boring stuff will take a bit," Cynthia muttered to Iris. "Is there something else you wanted to ask?"

Iris was a bit flustered by this, but did her best. "Um, y-yes," she said. "Back at Mt. Coronet, you said you'd explain exactly what was going on over there? I mean, if you can't tell me, it's fine," Iris said quickly, "but... I really want to know."

Cynthia glanced at the other judges before turning to Iris again.

"You sure you want to know?" she asked Iris quietly.

Iris nodded furiously. Cynthia sighed, folded her arms and started gazing into the distance.

"It's something that I've tried not to think about," she said wistfully as the MC kept on his chatter. "Steven told me about those writings you've been carrying. I've been studying those for years at the request of the Legendary Pokémon Society's elder. They contain an ancient prophecy that-"

"Ooh, ooh, I know, they talk about Red, right?" Iris asked excitedly. "And his, um, 'successor'..."

"That's just one part of a ridiculously long, interconnected story, pieces of which have been scattered across multiple regions," Cynthia stated. "We've found new parts of the story in Hoenn, where we've confirmed that history repeats itself. That's not just a saying, it's a universal fact. The meteor strike in Hoenn is one such occasion, for example. Another is the arrival of the beast from the Distortion World, prophesied to bring about untold levels of destruction."

"Yeah, but we thwarted it, right?" Iris asked. "We've shown that all that can be changed, didn't we?"

Cynthia didn't answer, but she didn't look as optimistic as Iris. "Have you heard of a Pokémon called Giratina?"

Iris shook her head, then looked contemplative. "Wait... I think Cyrus mentioned it. I really didn't stop to think about it that time, though."

Cynthia pulled a small book from her pocket, leaning back in her chair with one leg resting on top of the other. When the MC announced her name, she briefly posed for the cameras and waved at the audience when the spotlight hit her, but when the MC went to announcing the names of the other judges, Cynthia showed a page from the book to Iris.

Iris recognized the Pokémon as unquestionably draconic, but never before had seeing one given her the shivers – from an illustration, no less. Obscured by shadows, the Pokémon in the picture had six large insect-like legs, six black wings and six yellow claws, three on each side. Iris suddenly had a vivid flashback to Cyrus talking to a Pokémon in the portal that looked just like it. And then it was all coming together, making Iris gasp.

"I knew you'd understand the situation quickly," Cynthia said. "Giratina will no doubt make another attempt, however. We have merely delayed it, and as long as we battle the effects and not the cause, history will repeat itself forever."

As Iris contemplated Cynthia's words, she almost missed Kris and Lyra marching to the arena.

" _...the next event – and what a show we have for you, folks! One of our highest-ranked competitors, Lyra from New Bark Town, has been challenged by our up-and-coming young trainer, the hero who we may very well owe our lives to and who ended Team Galactic's reign of terror: Kris, also from New Bark Town. These two contestants have worked up quite a rivalry, and_ -"

"Oh, it's starting," Iris groaned. "Kris won't forgive me missing _another_ battle of hers, but..."

"But what?" Cynthia asked.

"I... really need to use the facilities."

"Oh," Cynthia said. "Well, the bathroom shouldn't be far. I'll make sure the door of this box is open for you. Go ahead."

"Thanks," Iris sighed.

Iris dashed out of the room, but as soon as she was out of the door, she ran headfirst into a man with dark blonde hair who had been eavesdropping behind the door and had just attempted to flee as he heard Iris coming. Iris and the man both collapsed on the floor, the man cursing in a familiar accent.

"Wes!" Iris gasped when she recognized the man.

"I didn't do nothin'!" Wes exclaimed before he also recognized Iris. "Oh... hey. Funny how we keep bumping into each other, huh?"

"Not really," Iris said, but smiled anyway. "I know you're up to something shady. You're lucky I like you."

Wes smiled smugly. "Indeed I am." He soon put up a more serious face. "How are you, though, honestly? It's been months!"

"Yeah," Iris groaned, "now is not a good-"

"Me, I've been great," Wes continued obliviously. "I mean, based on the rumors I heard, I haven't done _nearly_ as awesome stuff as you and Kris, but-"

"Wes!" Iris snapped. "I really have to-"

"Iris!"

Iris turned to the direction of the rough voice. It was Blaine, slowly making his way towards the two, slightly leaning on his question mark -shaped cane. Wes put out his hand enthusiastically, but Blaine ignored him and went right to shaking Iris' hand jovially.

"Dr. Blaine!" Iris flustered. "But... how did you...?"

"You didn't sound nearly as surprised to see me," Wes grumbled.

"What's that, son?" Blaine asked Wes.

"Nothing!"

"I'm so happy to see you, Iris!" Blaine said in an unexpectedly happy tone. "I'm also glad I didn't miss the tournament. There's something important I have to tell you. Oh, Wes, right. Hi."

"Hey," Wes muttered.

"Are you okay?" Iris asked, noticing Blaine's staggering. "Are you sick?"

"Just under a lot of pain medication," Blaine mumbled. "I've just... felt a bit sick recently, but it's nothing serious."

But Iris had already spotted Blaine's right sleeve. Without asking, Iris pulled Blaine's coat aside, indeed revealing an empty sleeve. Wes gasped, but Blaine just covered it up again, embarrassing Iris.

"Uh... sorry," she said. "I just..."

"Don't worry about it," Blaine said quietly. "Just... don't start announcing this to anyone."

"Aw, man, I'm sorry," Wes said, prompting a glare from Blaine which Wes didn't notice. "But can't you put like a prosthetic or something? That must really throw off your balance."

"It would take too long," Blaine grunted. "I'll get by."

Iris was still writhing in place and wringing her hands, though.

"Sheesh, Iris, it's all right," Blaine said. "I don't mind you knowing."

"No, it's not that," Iris grunted and dashed away, yelling over her shoulder: "I just really have to use the bathroom!"

**~o~O~o**

Meanwhile, the battle between Kris and Lyra was underway. Kris had started out with Croc, thinking she could wear Lyra out. But Lyra had chosen her Starmie, and while Kris had counted on the two water-types being equal in strength, Starmie's speed was far too much for her. Lyra was basically humiliating Kris by having Starmie fly laps around Croc with Rapid Spin, nimbly dodging all of Croc's physical attacks.

"Croc, grab it and use Crunch!" Kris yelled quickly.

While Starmie was spinning around, Croc quickly grabbed it by one of its many arms and bit on its core, though Starmie managed to break free of Croc's grip. Lyra merely had to make a gesture at her Starmie, and just like that, it used Recover to pretty much negate all the damage Croc did. Kris gritted her teeth as she saw Lyra just smiling calmly on the other side of the battlefield.

"Slash!" Kris ordered.

This time, all Lyra had to do was wink at Starmie, who seemed to know what to do. Before Croc even got close enough to attack, Starmie blasted it with a Thunderbolt, knocking the Feraligatr out. Kris was sure it would be mad at her when it woke up, but had to recall it for now.

Next, Kris sent out her Gardevoir. As Lyra made another gesture, Kris was quick to the trigger. As many advantages as Lyra's ability to not to shout out battle orders out loud was, Kris had studied it enough: she could tell what move Lyra was going to use based on the pose she was striking. As Lyra ordered Starmie to use Recover, Kris quickly ordered Gardevoir to set up a Light Screen.

If Lyra was annoyed, she didn't show it, merely ordered Starmie to use Scald, which barely even damaged Gardevoir. Kris countered it with her own Thunderbolt instead, finally getting the drop on Lyra and knocking out her Starmie.

The two were tied now. For once, Kris could see (or at least she wanted to believe she saw) some signs of frustration on Lyra's face as she reached for her next Pokémon. As Lyra caught Kris' gaze, she smiled at her, and Kris found herself smiling back. Sure enough, she was having the time of her life, and it seemed the audience was as well.

 _Though many of them are probably drunk by now_ , Kris thought.

Lyra's next Pokémon was Sylveon, and Kris had learned from her mistakes. She knew Sylveon could absorb any moves Kris sent its way and knew Shadow Ball, which would wear Gardevoir down quick. She withdrew Gardevoir, sending out Snorlax instead.

"Moonblast!" Lyra yelled.

"Amnesia!" Kris ordered.

The training had paid off: Snorlax was actually faster. Scratching its head and looking vacant, Snorlax glowed briefly, allowing it to shrug off the Moonblast attack like it was nothing. Lyra quickly ordered a Reflect, but Kris was ready for that, too, ordering a Brick Break, which allowed Snorlax to smash through Sylveon's defenses easily. Finally, with a quick Body Slam, Sylveon was knocked out.

The crowd went wild, but Kris kept her head cool. The time for feeling smug would come later. Kris had never gotten this far while fighting Lyra before – she was actually winning! But she knew she had to something _really_ good in store for her last Pokémon.

Lyra threw her Poké Ball. It opened mid-air. And out came... her Ampharos.

Admittedly, Kris had expected something more intimidating, but knew better than to hold back now. Studying the Pokémon, the only new thing Kris noticed was a little necklace with a large jewel around its neck. While it reminded Kris of something, she put it off for now. Still, better to end the battle quickly to make sure there was no doubt who the best trainer was.

"Snorlax, finish it off with a Body Slam!" Kris yelled.

"Light Screen," Lyra ordered, enunciating the attack almost too clearly.

Kris wasn't sure what Lyra's agenda was – until Snorlax's attack actually hit. Not only did it seem to merely inconvenience the bulky Ampharos, Snorlax movements suddenly became stiff and jerky while yellow electricity sparkled around it.

 _Static_ , Kris thought. _I hate that ability so much!_

"Shake it off, Snorlax!" Kris ordered. "Use Crunch!"

"Brick Break!"

Lyra's Ampharos took a page from Snorlax's book and whacked Snorlax with a karate chop, the ursine Pokémon unable to dodge or move anywhere with its paralysis. It fell, but it was still conscious, and Kris still had a chance.

"Use Earthquake!"

"This ends now!" Lyra belted out and rolled back her sleeve, revealing a silver bracelet with another colorful jewel attached to it.

As Lyra pressed that jewel, Kris suddenly realized what was going to happen. The audience cheered, Ampharos started glowing and Kris quietly cursed.

After Mega Evolving, Ampharos looked pretty much the same on the outside, except for having suddenly grown a long, fancy head of white hair. Its tail was also now covered in the same thick, curly white hair that looked kind of like the cloud-like wings of Altaria.

Snorlax being fully paralyzed, Lyra ordered her Ampharos to use Dragon Pulse. The destructive beam of energy knocked Snorlax out with one shot, once again bringing the situation to a tie.

"I gotta ask," Kris told Lyra as she withdrew Snorlax. "When and how?!"

"Karen gave it to me," Lyra said proudly as she showed the Mega Bracelet off, "way back when I was training in Kanto. She didn't tell me what it was, though, but I had plenty of time to find out. I mean, did you think I spent my time in Sinnoh just picking my nose or something?"

"...yes," Kris admitted.

Lyra laughed condescendingly. "Well, I'll help you out a bit," she said. "Mega Ampharos is a dual-type, electric and dragon."

Kris scoffed. "You sure you want to tell me that?"

"I want this to last a while," Lyra said. "This is one of the best battles I've ever had!"

"Yeah..." Kris muttered as she sent out her last Pokémon. "Gardevoir, come out!"

As Gardevoir materialized, Kris nervously racked her mind for her options. If Ampharos was a dragon-type, then Kris had the advantage, though only in terms of type. As far as level and power went, Ampharos was miles ahead of Gardevoir. And it had taken on Snorlax, Kris' second-strongest Pokémon, with such ease. This was going to be tough.

Kris opened her mouth to voice an attack order.

And something exploded around the stadium.

Kris and Lyra immediately hit the deck, prompting their Pokémon to do the same. The applause and excited chatter of the spectators turned to shrieks of terror, but they were quickly drowned by the giant screen turning on, broadcasting low-quality footage from a darkened room. What ruffled Kris the most was seeing the mask-covered face of none other than Missile covering the screen.

" _Citizens of Sinnoh and battle fans from all over_!" Missile announced. " _Sorry to divert your attention from the colorful explosions and pointless displays of violence, but I have an announcement to make. For far too long, certain people within this stadium have been a thorn in the collective buttocks of me and my Pokémon. But that will change today, and you, the people of Sinnoh,_ will _give me what I want. For if you don't..._ "

Missile turned on a flashlight, turned his camera a bit and pointed the light at the corner, illuminating two hostages. One was Bertha, the oldest member of Sinnoh's Elite Four, and tied against her was Silver, surprisingly enough. Both had been knocked unconscious, and as Kris squinted, she realized the ropes holding them were actually Victreebel's vines.

" _I will expect you to send a negotiator to me within the next hour. If not... well, I don't see the need to traumatize any young viewers with what I'm about to do. Ciao!_ "

Kris and Lyra glanced at each other. For all the bad blood between them, they both could agree that what Missile had just done was something unforgivable: he interrupted their match!

"Lyra," Kris said.

"Kris!" Lyra yelled. "That was-"

"Yes."

"And he-"

"I know."

"I... I think I hate him," Lyra said.

"As do I," Kris said and got on her feet. "But I have a plan. Screw the negotiators! We're both strong enough. What do we say we-"

"-make him pay for getting in the way of the most epic battle ever?" Lyra said, to which Kris nodded. "Yes!"

"Now, I know we had our differences," Kris said.

"We have?" Lyra wondered,

"Shut up," Kris snapped. "We had our differences, _but_ , I think if we work together, we can bring that clown down!"

"YEAH!" Lyra cheered.

**~o~O~o~**

_A few minutes later_

As Kris and Lyra got to the room Missile had been hiding in, though, all they found was Missile and his Pokémon unconscious in a pile, surrounded by security guards. Bertha and Silver had been freed by Cynthia and her Garchomp, who had also destroyed most of the room during the fight. Missile had apparently lost to Cynthia before Kris and Lyra were even halfway there.

"Well," Kris said, "darn."

"All's well that ends well, I guess," Lyra said and put her hand on Kris' shoulder. "At least we had fun while the match lasted, right?"

"Don't touch me," Kris grumbled.

Four other people rushed into the room, too. Iris, Leaf, Blaine and Wes, the latter holding his sides as he tried to keep with the others. Hasty reunions soon followed. Kris was more interested in Cynthia, though. While the others chatted away, Caitlin whispered something in Cynthia's ear. When she was done, Cynthia nodded and, to Kris' delight, walked over to the group.

"I have things in here under control," she said simply as the guards carried Missile and his Pokémon away. "He won't be causing trouble anywhere near Sinnoh for a while. I'm sorry this had to happen during your match, though. Security needs to be tightened around here."

"It's cool," Kris said quickly. "Is there something up?" she continued and glanced at Caitlin, who stood quietly in the corner.

"Lady Caitlin is one of our members in the Society," Cynthia said with a nod in Caitlin's direction. "She has promised to oversee things here for me."

"It would be my honor, Ms. Cynthia," Caitlin said.

"Is there a situation?" Kris asked greedily. "A situation calling for Legendary Pokémon Society expertise?"

"Possibly," Cynthia said grimly. "Something is up in Canalave City. And I wouldn't ask otherwise, but with Caitlin busy here and Lance still trying to track down Latias... well, I would really need your help, Kris. Yours too, Iris."

"You bet!" Iris said. "I'm in!"

"Me too!" Kris said. "Screw this tournament, this sounds way more important!"

"Can I come too?" Wes spoke out and waved at Kris. "Hi, Krissy."

Kris grunted a hasty response. What irritated her more was what Iris said afterwards:

"I'll vouch for him!" she said. "He's a good trainer, surprisingly enough."

"Thanks, I guess," Wes grumbled.

Cynthia stared at Wes judgingly for a while, then nodded. Lyra immediately spoke up, too.

"Hey, what about me!" she said. "I want to screw this tournament too! I mean... I always get excluded from these things! Let me come, too, Ms. Cynthia! I've done things!"

"Yes, you were with them in Hoenn, weren't you," Cynthia mused. "Lyra, was it? I suppose I could use some extra help on this one. I'll leave a note with your friends, because we really have no time to waste. A helicopter is waiting for us."

"A chopper?!" Wes exclaimed. "Man, I'm so glad I know you guys!"

"I wish I could say the same," Kris sighed and followed Cynthia out of the room.

As Kris was about to leave, though, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Letting Iris, Lyra and Wes go with Cynthia, Kris found herself looking at Blaine, who pulled Kris closer to himself and lowered his voice to talk to Kris:

"Listen, Kris," Blaine growled. "I know Cynthia's reputation, but under no circumstances should you trust everything the LPS says, got it?"

"Good to see you too, by the way," Kris told Blaine.

"We'll catch up later!" Blaine said impatiently. "This is serious! Do _not_ let your guard down with those people! I'll explain later!""

"I'll keep that in mind," Kris said and quickly left the room.

That was a lie, though. A few seconds later, Kris was already too busy thinking about what kind of cool assignment Cynthia had for her. After all, much as Kris liked Blaine, he was just some conspiracy nut while Cynthia was the Sinnoh champion, a member of the Legendary Pokémon Society and all-around awesome person. What could go wrong here?

* * *


	18. Nightmare on Canalave Streets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cynthia takes Kris, Iris, Lyra and Wes to Canalave City to deal with a mysterious force called Darkrai, who has been tormenting a young boy with endless nightmares. But not everything is what it seems...

Cynthia's jeep sped through the roads of Sinnoh, quickly making its way to Canalave City. It was waiting for the group in Celestic Town, where the helicopter had landed on, the pilot talking something about unsafe weather conditions even though there were hardly any clouds in the sky. Iris was riding shotgun, right next to Cynthia, beaming as if she couldn't believe her own luck. The rumble of the engine covered most of their conversations, and the trip alone had been so long that Kris, Lyra and Wes, who sat uncomfortably close to each other in the back, didn't even try to pay attention.

When Cynthia loudly announced that they'd reach Canalave City in five minutes, Kris woke up from the half-sleep that she had been in for the last two hours. Opening her eyes, Kris had to close and open them again to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

What was presumably Canalave City was completely obscured by a thick fog, almost acting as a barrier to intimidate travelers. Despite Kris' weak protests, Cynthia drove straight into the fog, nonchalantly turning on the fog lights.

"What's happening over here?!" Kris asked, forgetting to hide the anxiety in her voice.

Cynthia glanced at Kris from the rear-view mirror. "You can still back down if you want."

"I'm not scared!"

"I... never said anything like that."

"Oh... well, I'm not!"

"Come on, Kris," Lyra yawned. "You don't have to be so stubborn. You're just like when we were kids."

"Lyra, this is seriouslynot the time for that garbage!" Kris snapped. "All I'm saying is-"

"I wanna hear about your childhood, though!" Wes pestered Lyra. "I don't know the full story yet. I love drama!"

"And then there's this guy," Kris sighed. "Why are you even here? What's your agenda?"

"Uh, I want to help," Wes said, listing pretentiously with his fingers, "I want to hang out with my best buddies-"

"Honestly, I don't even know you," Lyra pointed out.

"-and I have experience dealing with high-risk situations, more so than anyone here!" Wes proclaimed. "Navel Rock, remember?"

"Where were you when Cyrus almost ended Sinnoh?" Kris grumbled.

"...who did what?"

"Enough," Cynthia said calmly, which ended the banter immediately. "We're about to clear out of the fog."

"We are?" Iris wondered. "How does that even-"

But indeed, the fog barrier abruptly came to a stop when Cynthia finally arrived into the canal-bisected port city. There was barely any signs of the fog in the city itself save for the sky – it was like the city existed in some kind of bubble that the thick fog surrounded on all sides. Still, the streets in the normally bustling city were almost empty, with the doors and windows of several buildings boarded shut.

"This doesn't make any sense," Iris said quietly. "Fog doesn't work this way!"

"You'll see why soon enough," Cynthia said curtly.

After a few minutes of driving around the port, Cynthia pulled over next to a small house near the docks. Wordlessly telling Kris and the others to follow suit, Cynthia knocked on the door three times.

The door was opened immediately by a short, stocky man in a sailor uniform. He was sweating nervously and immediately started rambling at Cynthia, as if he had been expecting her.

"Thanks for coming!" he said quickly and wiped some sweat off his brow. "Come on in, please!"

"Of course, Eldritch," Cynthia said serenely. "I'd like to introduce you to-"

"Sorry, no time!" Eldritch panicked. "Please, do what you can for him!"

Cynthia shrugged and gestured at the others to follow. Kris had no idea what this was about – was Cynthia a doctor too, on top of everything else? And why exactly did she need help?

Kris and company stayed awkwardly behind at the door as Cynthia followed Eldritch to a bedroom. A small boy, probably no more than five years old, was apparently sleeping, but not soundly. He thrashed wildly around and his eyes were tightly shut as he kept groaning and muttering to himself. His mother, presumably, sat by the boy and held his hand, trying to calm him down, but nothing seemed to work.

"We called a doctor, but she didn't find anything unusual about him!" Eldritch told Cynthia and wrung his hands while Cynthia leaned closer to the boy. "He just won't wake up, even if you shake him, and I don't want to hurt my son!"

"You made the right call," Cynthia said quietly as she observed the boy closely, inspecting him from every angle. "We have narrowed down the problem, at least, and confirmed he can still hold on a little while."

"He's having some horrible nightmares," the boy's mother said as she gripped the boy's hand tightly. "I've never heard of anything like this! And that strange fog too, it's like..."

"They are indeed related," Cynthia said. "Hold on... everyone be quiet!"

The boy's muttering suddenly became audible enough to make out individual words. Cynthia leaned as close as she could and frowned at what she was hearing:

"Dar..." the boy muttered as he thrashed about. "Dark... is watching me... no..."

"He's been repeating that since this began," the boy's mother whimpered. "I tried to write it down, but it's always the same, or some variation of it."

Cynthia nodded and stood up. "This confirms my theory. Please, bear with me just a while more. A few more hours at max. Eldritch, I'm going to need your help with this."

"Yes, yes, of course, anything!" Eldritch panicked.

"Go prepare your boat," Cynthia told the sailor. "We'll be with you in a moment. We're heading north."

As Eldritch stormed out of the house, Cynthia excused herself and assured the boy's mother she'd be back soon. She then guided Kris and the others out of the mother's earshot.

"What's wrong with the boy?" Iris asked immediately.

"And how does it concern _us_?" Kris said bitterly, prompting stares from everyone else. "I mean, of course, I'm also concerned..."

"It is as you said, Kris," Cynthia said patiently. "A situation demanding our expertise. It involves a certain legendary Pokémon... two, in fact, if I'm not mistaken."

" _Two_?!" Wes squealed. "Um, no offense, but I doubt even you're powerful enough to deal with two, Ms. Cynthia! And you can be certain we won't be much help."

"Don't lump _me_ with the rest of you guys!" Lyra protested. "I was one of the few who managed to hurt Latias back then!"

"After almost drowning like an idiot," Kris grumbled.

"If all goes well, no confrontation is required," Cynthia said. "It concerns a Pokémon called Darkrai. Have you heard of it?"

While Iris and Lyra shook their heads, Kris had. She immediately let out a yelp that caused everyone to stare at her again. It had been so long, yet Kris suddenly remembered her phone conversation with professor Elm in Fallarbor Town vividly, like it had just happened.

"Yes!" Kris told Cynthia. "It's a... um... legendary Pokémon, lives on Newmoon Island... spores..."

Kris noted that Wes had flinched when Darkrai was mentioned, but was now doing his utmost to hide it and tried way too hard to look confused.

"...right," Cynthia said. "It is said to have the ability to torment people with nightmares. It's behind this fog as well. The last time this happened was hundreds of years back, but the Elder has told me to keep an eye on Canalave City nonetheless. Now I know why."

"Why is it doing this?" Iris wondered. "Why choose that poor kid?"

Cynthia shook her head. "But I do think I know how to stop this. I've studied ancient texts about a ritual to break Darkrai's curse. I know it sounds nonsensical-"

"After what we've seen, it sounds downright... sensical," Kris said. "What do we need?"

"You sound pretty eager," Lyra commented.

"Hey, I've been wanting to get into this Society since I heard of it!" Kris countered. "I'm much more surprised _you're_ here, though. What do you care?"

Lyra stared at the ground. "I just wanted to be a part of the action..."

"What we need," Cynthia said sharply to get the conversation back on track, "is the Lunar Wing, a feather from Darkrai's counterpart, Cresselia, the other Pokémon I mentioned. She has the power to dispel nightmares, even as potent as Darkrai's. In terms of sheer power, though, Darkrai has the upper hand. The two Pokémon live close to each other and essentially keep each other in check. Cresselia should be at Fullmoon Island, which is right next to Newmoon. Traveling to these islands is forbidden, but I think we can circumvent the rules this once."

"Are you sure?" Iris asked.

"Well, I was the one who created that rule," Cynthia said with a smile. "It's not going to be as easy as just going there and yanking a feather out of the Pokémon, though. I have a plan, but I need to know you're still on board."

All four immediately started voicing their disapproval that Cynthia would even question this. With that, they followed her to the docks.

**~o~O~o~**

The trip north took well over an hour, and Eldritch had to go even slower with the poor visibility. After leaving Canalave's port, the boat had entered the thick fog again, only this time it seemed to stretch all the way to Newmoon and Fullmoon islands. Along the way, Kris didn't talk much, occasionally grunting something at Iris and Lyra who eventually gave up trying to make Kris participate in their conversation.

Kris was thinking about the 'spore of Darkrai'. It was the reason the Masked Man had kidnapped children, why Kris was apparently important to someone's interests... and why Cyrus had specifically tried to aim at her during the battle. But how could she have that kind of thing? And why? Surely she would feel it – unless she had it since birth, in which case there really would be no way to know.

Finally, at a seemingly random point in the sea, when they were still surrounded by nothing but ocean, Cynthia suddenly let Togekiss out of its Poké Ball.

"We are exactly between Newmoon and Fullmoon Islands," she explained. "Here's my plan. We split into two groups. I will go to recover the Lunar Wing. Cresselia is not a Pokémon to attack humans, but I'd still prefer to sneak in and recover some dropped feathers rather than walk up to it and yank some off. It is possible, however, that Darkrai will sense our attempt and will try to interfere. That's why I want the rest of you to keep tabs on its movements and call me _immediately_ should it leave Newmoon Island. Don't engage it under any circumstances – fight only to buy some time to flee if you have to."

Kris felt relieved. _Even I can't screw this up! And when it's done... I'll ask Cynthia to let me join the Society_.

"You got it, Cynthia!" she said and stood at attention, prompting some snickering from Lyra.

"Should you really go all on your own, though?" Wes asked.

"Hey, you didn't see her fight Regigigas," Iris pointed out. "She knows what she's doing, right?"

"I doubt we'll have to fight Cresselia, but just in case something goes wrong..." Cynthia paused. "You know, maybe I could use your help on this, Iris."

Iris seemed shocked and turned to stare at the others, who nodded encouragingly.

"W-well..." Iris stuttered. "If you really think I could be of help..."

"Of course you will," Cynthia said and climbed on Togekiss' back. "Hop on. Eldritch, please take the other three to Newmoon Island, then stay moving between the islands. Your son will be back to normal in no time!"

After climbing on Togekiss and sitting behind Cynthia, Iris held on to the Champion awkwardly as Togekiss soared to the sky and disappeared into the fog. Eldritch turned his boat and started heading starboard. As they sailed for a few more minutes, Eldritch explained to Kris, Lyra and Wes that he frequently took Cynthia to the islands for inspection visits, which is why he could navigate them even in this thick fog. He hadn't actually set foot on either of the islands, though.

After this slightly unsettling piece of information, Kris, Lyra and Wes were left on the rocky shores of Newmoon Island, Eldritch turning his boat around and quickly disappearing into the fog. Kris, Lyra and Wes began slowly climbing up the rocky hill towards a small forest at the top.

After reaching the edge of the forest, the trio stopped to go over their Pokémon. Entirely focused on their goal, they had been quiet the whole time, but Lyra decided to finally break the silence.

"So, Iris is apparently good buddies with the Champion?" she asked Kris. "Jealous?"

Kris glared at Lyra. "Hey, she deserves it! I've trained under Alder himself, I have _nothing_ to be jealous about!"

"Your training was just a free ticket to some snobby trainer camp," Lyra said as she went through her bag. "You really think you're up for this?"

"You b-"

"Because I don't know if I am," Lyra added quietly. "It's just like you said – I didn't do so well against Team Aqua either. I was unconscious for the most part."

Kris reacted with udder bewilderment. She glanced at Wes for support, but Wes could only shrug.

"Well, just why are you here in the first place?" Kris pressed. "I know you were lying before and you've always seriously sucked at it! So what's up?"

Lyra looked uncomfortable, biting her lip and trying to get a word out, but coming up with nothing. Wes decided to step in and change the subject.

"So, Kris, you have an idea how we'll do this?" he asked. "There's really no need to be nervous. It's like Cynthia said: we'll just keep tabs on the thing and call her if something's up. Right?"

"It's somewhere in that forest," Kris said. "It's best if we try to sneak through, using trees and bushes as our cover, see it before it sees us. We split up but stay close enough to see each other. Assuming _some of us_ ," Kris glanced at Lyra, "can handle that."

"Good plan!" Wes said eagerly and opened two of his Poké Balls, letting himself be flanked by his Umbreon and Espeon. "If it tries anything funny, like sneaking up on us, he will tell us," Wes scratched Espeon behind the ear. "And then she," Wes patted Umbreon on the head, "can daze it with Confuse Ray, giving us all time to get out."

Kris nodded. "Best me and Lyra stick with one Pokémon – we don't want to draw too much attention."

Kris let out her Feraligatr. Croc immediately roared and flexed its muscles to show it was ready, angry over losing to Lyra's Starmie.

Lyra's hands were shaking a bit when she let out her Typhlosion, Scorch. Kris noticed that Scorch had gained some muscle as well since she last saw it and the flames on its neck were burning brighter than ever. It was a good thing she hadn't had to fight it during the battle.

"You really think that's wise?" Kris asked. "Those flames can be seen from Snowpoint City!"

"Nope, they can't!" Lyra said indignantly. "Show her, Scorch!"

The flames on Typhlosion's neck suddenly flickered and were extinguished as the fire-type got on all fours.

"Besides, she's my strongest Pokémon," Lyra said, "and she's more agile than Croc is!"

Croc exposed his teeth at Lyra, but Kris raised her hand before things got ugly. Plus, Lyra had a point. Though still, she was clearly thinking of fighting to run away, while Kris was confident things would go as Cynthia had expected.

"All right, you know the plan!" Kris said and tossed her PokéGear at Wes. "You hold on to that. Me and Lyra are strong enough to hold it off so you can make the call. Not that it will come to that, of course."

"'Course!" Wes said confidently.

Kris and Croc split from the others as they entered the forest. From what Kris had seen as they arrived to the island, it wasn't a big place, and they'd be on the other side in a matter of minutes. Kris dropped on the ground on her belly and after some difficulty, managed to get Croc to understand that it had to sneak in as well instead of just marching through. Croc wasn't happy, but obeyed. With Lyra and Scorch to her left and Wes, Espeon and Umbreon to her right also crawling, Kris started moving in.

This was definitely new to Kris, whose only experience with stuff like this was in some video game she couldn't quite remember – _Ekans Eater_ , or something – but she still pressed on, making use of the bushes, trees and dirt. The forest was so thick that little light got in, and along with the fog, that made sneaking in even easier. It occurred to Kris she hadn't asked Cynthia what this 'Darkrai' looked like, but she was sure she'd know it when she'd see it.

After a couple of minutes of crawling uphill, it got less dark and there were fewer trees. Eventually, the group arrived to a small clearing that had nothing but a small pond in the middle of it. The water in the pond was dark and murky, so much that light didn't even reflect off of it.

With no Pokémon in sight, Kris, Lyra, Wes and their Pokémon reunited in the middle of the clearing. While they hadn't heard or seen anything, they talked quietly just to be sure.

"What now?" Lyra whispered anxiously. "Has it already left the island?"

"I'm sure Cynthia would have known," Kris muttered.

"Yeah, she would have and besides," Wes said quickly, "they say Darkrai is trapped on Newmoon Island, probably because of that Cresselia."

Kris stared at Wes. "How would you know?" she hissed.

"Oh, uh," Wes mumbled, "I think Cynthia said that. W-weren't you paying attention?"

"Do you know something?" Kris asked threateningly and grabbed the lapels of Wes' jacket. "Now would be a good time to tell us!"

" _Um_ ," Lyra whispered, but Kris ignored her.

"I know there's some hidden reason why you're here," Kris growled at him. "At least with Lyra, I can tell when she's lying, but you probably make a living out of it. Good job, too: I almost trusted you back there, briefly."

"Kris, I don't know what you're talking about," Wes pleaded and tried to get out of Kris' grip. "Also, since when have you been so strong?!"

" _Tell me_!" Kris snapped, forgetting to lower her volume. "What do you want?!"

"Um!" Lyra yelled.

Kris turned to glare at her, then let go of Wes and almost fell over at what she saw. She had to blink a couple of times to confirm it: at first, it just looked like Lyra was staring at a tree. But between the leaves and the branches, there was a dark, shadowy creature with glowing blue eyes, a red, spiky growth around its 'neck' and two long arms ending in claw-like hands. For a moment, everyone just stared at it in shock as the creature slowly left the cover of the tree and floated towards the group.

Kris turned to Wes. "I thought your Espeon was supposed to tell us if something was about to attack!" she yelled.

"I..." Wes stared at the shadowy creature. "It must be..."

"Wait, so Espeon _doesn't_ have an ability to sense dark-types?" Kris asked in shock.

"...no, he doesn't!" Wes squealed.

"Well why didn't you say anything!"

"I didn't know it would be a dark-type!"

"It's in its _name_!"

Kris looked back at Darkrai. So far, it hadn't done anything, it just floated above the clearing menacingly and stared at the group. It wasn't quite as large as Kris had feared either, but it seemed to radiate with a strange aura that filled Kris with dread.

"Wes, the plan!" Kris yelled.

"R-right!" Wes said and turned to his Umbreon. "Use Confuse Ray!"

But before the attack even left Umbreon, Darkrai disappeared from its position and appeared behind the group. Pointing a single claw at Wes, it fired a dark energy beam towards Umbreon. Wes quickly grabbed the Pokémon and threw himself out of the attack's way, but Espeon wasn't fast enough and got caught up in the blast, being knocked out instantly. Wes quickly withdrew it.

"Lyra!" Kris yelled.

Fortunately, Lyra hadn't been paralyzed by fear yet. "Yes!" she screamed back. "Scorch, Fire Blast!"

"Croc, Hydro Pump!"

The two powerful attacks were still in the air as Darkrai moved out of the way again. The Fire Blast exploded mid-air while the Hydro Pump's water flew out of the woods harmlessly. Before it got a chance to attack, Croc and Scorch charged at Darkrai, preparing another attack.

"Wes, make the call!" Kris yelled.

"Y-yes!"

Wes dropped Umbreon without hesitation and picked up his PokéGear. But before he could even press a button, Darkrai's arm suddenly extended all the way through the clearing, grabbing Wes in a single strike, covering him with its fist.

Kris and Lyra gasped, but they were even more shocked when Darkrai opened its fist again – there was nothing there. Wes had just disappeared abruptly, with clothes and all, without even making a sound. It was as if he had gone... _inside_ that thing.

"Lyra!" Kris yelled. "We have to defeat it! No choice now – our Pokémon have to go all out."

"You mean..." Lyra gulped. "But if we miss, then-"

"That's why we'll distract it ourselves!" Kris said, making things up as she went along. "It's us it's interested in! Now go!"

Lyra left the thinking to Kris and blindly charged at Darkrai from the left while Kris ran from the right.

"Hydro Cannon!" she screamed as she ran.

"Blast Burn!" Lyra yelled.

Croc fired Darkrai with a massive ball of water while Scorch shot an enormous fireball towards it. Meanwhile, Kris and Lyra ran towards Darkrai from the sides, Kris grabbing a Poké Ball without even looking.

"Go-"

That was all Kris managed to yell out. Darkrai suddenly soared to the sky, nimbly avoiding both Croc and Scorch's ultimate attacks, but not before grabbing Kris with it, causing the Poké Ball she was holding to drop and open, letting a Sandshrew out. The shock wave of the two attacks exploding mid-air sent Shrew flying before it even realized what had happened while the same happened to Lyra.

Though the attack had exhausted it, Croc still roared in rage as Kris was taken. Ignoring Shrew's pleas, Croc tried to fire another Hydro Pump at Darkrai, but was not in any shape to conjure up any water. Darkrai floated calmly back down and blasted Croc away with another Dark Pulse.

Lyra just stood still in shock. She had barely even seen Kris disappear, and now she stood alone against something horrible. Though even more worn out than Croc, Scorch still tried to shield Lyra with her body, stepping in front of her trainer and re-igniting the flames on the back of her head.

Without thinking, Shrew dashed towards Darkrai, thinking only about getting to the shadowy monster before it grabbed Scorch as well. For a while, it seemed to work: Darkrai still hadn't noticed Shrew as it leaped into the air and curled up into a ball, ready to slam against the legendary Pokémon with all its might. Shrew didn't care about how small or weak it was – if it just landed a hit on the Darkrai's eye, it would _have_ to feel it.

But that momentary feeling of triumph quickly vanished as Darkrai prepared its own ultimate attack. Forming a black and crimson sphere between its hands, the sphere suddenly enlarged as soon as Shrew got close, enveloping the Sandshrew in total darkness and putting it to sleep. Scorch reacted instinctively, even knowing how useless her efforts probably were, and briefly left Lyra unguarded.

By the time she realized what had happened, it was too late. As the sleeping Shrew dropped like a sack of potatoes, Darkrai used one hand to blast Scorch away while grabbing a paralyzed Lyra with the other, absorbing her as well.

With Shrew in deep slumber, Scorch and Croc on the brink of unconsciousness and Umbreon quietly observing the battle from behind a tree, there was no one left to fight Darkrai anymore. Satisfied, Darkrai floated away from Newmoon Island and disappeared into the fog.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Fullmoon Island, Sinnoh** _

Blissfully unaware of what was going on, Cynthia and Iris had just arrived on Fullmoon Island, and now trekked their way through its thick forest. They would arrive at the clearing in the middle very shortly, though the thickets made it hard to see which way was the center of the island. Iris had just finished telling Cynthia about her adventures back in Johto.

"So you've dealt with that 'Mewtwo' before?" Cynthia asked, sounding sincerely impressed. "Lance told me about its fight with Latias, but even he didn't know how it knew you."

"Yeah, though even now that it's on our side, it's still a bit scary," Iris admitted. "When I first saw it, it came close to blowing us all up!"

"So were you the one who defeated it?" Cynthia asked.

"N-no, I wish!" Iris said frantically, not wanting to sound like a braggart. "No one defeated it. It had a change of heart, I think!"

"I see," Cynthia said. "And because of that, you believe Latias will do the same?"

Iris didn't reply. The way Cynthia said it made Iris sound desperately naive. And yet, she still believed it, even if it was in the back of her mind.

"Either way, thanks for telling me about it," Cynthia said pleasantly. "Mew has always been a fascination of mine. I wish I could see it one day... but then again, I think I've seen more than enough legendaries already."

"Oh, no problem!" Iris said happily. "I mean, Dr. Blaine would yell at me if he knew I told you this, but it's not like you're some stranger. You're, well, you!"

Cynthia just smiled and kept walking at a slow pace. As she followed, Iris kept getting her hair stuck in bushes and branches, with Fraxure, who was walking by her side, having to help its trainer every time.

"Thanks," Iris told the dragon-type for the fifth time now. "I hope we get through this soon. This island didn't seem very big when we came!"

"It's not," Cynthia replied calmly as she walked ahead. "I'm avoiding walking straight to the center just in case something goes wrong. It's been a while since I've seen Cresselia."

"You've seen it before?!" Iris gasped, forgetting to watch where she was going, but ignoring the scraping of the branches. "Have you, like... talked to it or something?"

"Nothing like that," Cynthia said, laughing a bit. "We haven't had any real contact, but I come here occasionally to see if the balance of power between Darkrai and Cresselia is still holding. Though she hasn't seen me as such, I have no doubts that Cresselia sensed my presence. She's a psychic-type, after all."

"Yeah, you told me about that, so this is what I don't understand," Iris pondered. "She's a psychic-type, and Darkrai's a dark-type, so how can there be any balance? Why hasn't Darkrai just destroyed her?"

"It's not just the type advantage," Cynthia said quietly. "I believe Darkrai is more powerful in general. I've asked the same question myself, but I think I've made a valid hypothesis. Cresselia must have some kind of secret ability to get around her weakness. Something that even Darkrai would fear."

Iris got goosebumps from the way Cynthia had said that, and the two continued walking through the woods. Cynthia slowed down even more, and neither of them said a word.

This was, of course, difficult for Iris. Plus, she had something on her mind.

"Um," she said, unsure if she could continue.

"Yes?" Cynthia asked kindly, relieving Iris.

"Well, I'm just real happy you trusted me enough to bring you along," Iris said, though clearly that wasn't all. "Not just on this mission – to accompany you personally to Fullmoon Island. It's just... why me?"

"I thought it was obvious," Cynthia said. "Your friends are all strong, but you're above even them. You're a dragon tamer, after all."

"And that's it?" Iris asked. "I'm not trying to put myself down or anything – I _know_ I've worked hard for this – but I don't think I'm that far ahead of them. You saw Kris on Mt. Coronet! And Lyra can command her Pokémon without saying a thing. And, um, I guess Wes has me beat in experience..."

"There was another reason, too," Cynthia said mysteriously. "We'll talk about it later – we've arrived."

Iris hadn't even noticed that she wasn't getting stuck in trees anymore – they've arrived to a small clearing. A pretty, clear pond shaped like a crescent moon was in the middle of it, reflecting light coming from above. But no Pokémon or any signs of life were seen.

Frowning, Cynthia walked closer to the pond and crouched to inspect something. Iris and Fraxure hung back awkwardly as Cynthia ran her hand through the grass near the pond. A few seconds later, she let out a gasp and grabbed something from the ground: a large feather of bright yellowish green (or greenish yellow?) color.

Iris and Fraxure ran to Cynthia, Iris wanting to see it closer.

"Is that it?" she asked eagerly.

"Yes," Cynthia said and pocketed the feather. "I was hoping to find more, but this is enough for the ritual, I believe. However, I'm really curious as to why Cresselia isn't-"

"CYNTHIA!" Iris screamed suddenly. "LOOK OUT!"

Cynthia didn't even look. She nimbly rolled out of the way as a blast of colorful dragon fire hit the ground where she had just stood. She pulled out the same blade she used on Regigigas from her coat and turned to whatever it was that hit her.

Latias hovered above the crescent-shaped pond, radiating with the same intense purple aura Iris had seen before. With drool coming out of her mouth and her eyes completely white, without pupils or irises, Latias looked crazier than ever. Iris could practically feel Latias' aura, which caused the trees around her to bend like a strong gust of wind.

" _That Pokémon is a part of me now_!" Latias announced. " _I can feel it! I can TASTE it!_ _And I can sense the power of another strong Pokémon not too far from here..._ "

Iris couldn't believe it. There weren't even any signs of battle! It was like Cresselia had been absorbed without even putting up a fight.

While Iris could do nothing but stare, Cynthia pointed her blade determinedly at Latias.

"Even with all that power, you can't defeat Darkrai!" she told the monster looming above them. "You might risk being destroyed if you even try – it has the advantage over you in every conceivable way. It's fast, and can put you into a state of deep sleep, terrorizing you with a nightmare you can't wake up from. If you want a fight..."

Cynthia opened a Poké Ball, and soon Iris felt another powerful aura, even if it did pale in comparison to Latias': Garchomp.

"Absorb this one if you can!" Cynthia declared.

Latias licked her lips greedily.

" _Don't mind if I do_ ," she said, her voice echoing around the forest. " _You're the only human to have seriously challenged me so far. Your Garchomp isn't what I came here for, but since you're so willingly offering it to me... so be it_!"

Iris took cover as Latias charged and fired a Mist Ball, causing the ground beneath Garchomp and Cynthia to explode.

**~o~O~o~**

As a bright light flashed before him, Shrew woke up to a pair of red eyes staring down at him. He almost lunged and attacked until he realized it was Wes' Umbreon.

"What happened?!" Shrew squeaked at her immediately. "Where's Kris? And Lyra?"

"You didn't mention _my_ trainer," Umbreon pointed out.

"I know what I said."

Umbreon scoffed. "You're welcome, by the way," she said coldly. "I could have left you dozing there and you probably wouldn't have woken up in a couple of days. That's the power of Darkrai."

"Shrew!"

Scorch pushed Umbreon away and rushed to hug the ground-type. Unfortunately, Scorch seemed to have forgotten the size difference the two had now, nearly crushing and burning the poor Sandshrew.

"Sorry," she said after Shrew squeaked loudly and let him go.

"Don't worry, I'm stronger than that," Shrew lied, "you just... surprised me. Still, I'm glad to see you're okay."

Scorch's answer was cut off by the sound of a tree crashing down. Shrew looked over his shoulder, seeing Croc grinding his teeth together and punching random trees into splinters in a fit of rage. Still, Shrew thought he had come a long way – in the old days, it would be Shrew and the others who Croc would be punching.

"Croc," Scorch pleaded calmly. "Please stop that. It's no use now. We need to come up with a plan to-"

But Croc just roared and continued tearing a fallen tree into pieces with his teeth and claws. Shrew imagined Croc was probably pretending the tree was Darkrai.

"He's been at this ever since Darkrai left," Umbreon said derisively. "Completely pointless. Exhausting himself now won't bring his trainer back, it's only going to hinder our goal."

"B... bring them back?" Scorch asked and stared at Umbreon, tears forming in her eyes. "Are they-"

"I know they're not dead – I saw the whole thing," Umbreon answered calmly. "And I know a thing or two about dark-types. Some of them have the power to absorb their foes, adding their strength to their own. Killing them wouldn't have nearly as big of an effect."

"But why absorb Lyra and the others?" Scorch wondered. "Shouldn't Darkrai have tried to do it to us instead?"

Shrew had a more pressing question in mind, though.

"You were just _watching_?!" he snapped at Umbreon. "I didn't see you fighting much. Shouldn't you have tried to help us?!"

"There was no way I could have dealt a blow at it, not after Confuse Ray missed," Umbreon replied coldly. "If anything, _you_ shouldn't have gotten involved either. My comrades, like Zebstrika or Ninetales, would be more useful to us now. Figures that they'd get absorbed with my trainer while a weakling like you gets to walk freely."

Shrew readied his claws and lunged at Umbreon, thinking only of shutting her up. But Umbreon used Feint Attack, practically vanishing out of Shrew's way and appearing behind him instead. She then pounced on Shrew and put her paw on his neck, pressing down to keep him immobilized.

"Shrew!" Scorch yelled, but Umbreon glared at her menacingly.

"We all need to keep calm now," Umbreon said slowly and turned back to stare at Shrew. "For a mouse, you've got guts, I'll give you that," she said. "Maybe you can help me recover our masters, after all."

"Kris is my friend!" Shrew spat at Umbreon.

"Whatever," Umbreon said. "Pointless pride will only hinder us now, though. Just look at Croc. The first thing you need to do is calm him the hell down."

Umbreon lifted her paw and let Shrew go again. Shrew swore to pay back for that later, but had to admit that fighting her at this point wouldn't lead anywhere.

Plus, even after all he went through, Shrew still couldn't beat the likes of Umbreon even if he tried.

"Yes, let's all keep calm!" Scorch said hastily. "Um, Umbreon, do you have a plan, then?"

"I have a start," Umbreon said bluntly. "Croc is the only one here who can swim, so he can take us to the next island over. That's where Iris and the Sinnoh Champion are, right?"

"What if Darkrai attacks us again?" Shrew asked. "In the water, we'll be even more vulnerable."

"In case you didn't notice, we're still alive," Umbreon said condescendingly. "And no," she said as Shrew was about to interrupt, "it has nothing to do with our strength. Darkrai is stronger than all the Pokémon our trainers own combined. We're still here because it let us. It probably has plans for us after whatever it does with the humans, but I don't want to stick around to see them."

"Right, right," Scorch said nervously, nodding frantically. "If anyone knows how to get them out, it's Cynthia. The way Lyra talks about her sometimes is... well, um, she really admires her."

"Fine," Shrew sighed and turned to the rampaging Feraligatr. "Hey. Croc!"

No answer, just Croc sharpening his teeth on a thick branch.

"CROC!"

Croc lifted his head and snarled at Shrew.

"Oh, stop that!" Shrew snapped. "You need to take us to the other island! It's the only way to bring Kris and the others back."

"I..." Croc growled. "I lost! Even using my strongest attack, I _lost_!"

"We saw that," Shrew said bluntly. "But once we get them back... you can rip that Darkrai to shreds yourself."

This was deemed acceptable by Croc, who nodded and joined the others. With Scorch giving one last sad glance towards the clearing where Lyra and the others had stood not too long ago, the four Pokémon left the forest.

"I'm not sure how we're going to tell Cynthia what happened," Shrew grumbled.

"She'll know something is up when we return without our trainers," Umbreon stated simply. "But if she tries to destroy Darkrai before we get them out, we might have to step in and stop her."

"Hard to think even that high-and-mighty Garchomp could pull that off," Croc said bitterly. "That Darkrai was one of the strongest opponents I've ever faced!"

"She'll get it done," Scorch assured. "We just have to hurry. I don't even want to think of the horrible things they must be going through!"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: ?** _

Kris sighed, curled up in the warm, comfy chair with a blanket wrapped around her. She didn't want to wake up yet. She was so comfortable she had forgotten everything that happened before...

Kris suddenly opened her eyes. Something was wrong. For one, even after opening her eyes, she seemed to be surrounded by complete darkness everywhere. The only thing she could see beyond her own body was the chair and the blanket, which were seemingly floating in the middle of the strange space.

Still, she was no stranger to weird dreams. Groggily, Kris left the chair and stood up. As she expected, she could stand up just fine, even if she couldn't feel anything solid beneath her feet. Slowly, everything was coming back to her. Wes disappearing, as if sucked inside Darkrai. Then, Darkrai's hand coming towards her... and the next thing she knew, she was sleeping comfortably in a soft chair.

_Still not the weirdest thing to have happened to me._

Walking around the dark space, she suddenly saw something. It was blurry, but Kris could clearly make out the outlines of a person, standing still amidst the darkness. The closer she got, the slower she started walking, hardly believing her eyes (and sanity). The person was a young man, probably around Kris' age, causing Kris an unmistakable sensation of déjà vu. The boy had black hair and was wearing a distinctly familiar red hat and a red coat with blue jeans.

Kris gasped as the boy turned to face her. She was about to say something to him, anything, but had second thoughts when she saw him. Despite being so close, he still looked blurry to Kris, who couldn't even make out his eyes. When the boy opened his mouth to talk, the voice, completely unlike what she knew him to sound like, seemed to echo from everywhere.

"Don't be alarmed, Kris," it said. "I assumed this form to ease the shock of talking to you."

Kris instinctively reached for a Poké Ball, but couldn't find any. She knew she had left Croc and another Pokémon behind, but she still should have had four others left.

"I am what you call Darkrai," the voice continued. "I have taken your Pokémon into custody for the time being.I implore you to listen to what I have to say."

"Stop looking like him," Kris hissed.

"Hmm... I would have thought this form would be pleasing and familiar, but if you so desire..."

And with that, the boy with the red hat disappeared. Briefly, Kris was alone, but all of the sudden, she was back in the chair, with two others on both her sides: Lyra and Wes, who seemed to have just woken up and were even more confused than Kris.

_So... is this even a dream or what?_

Lyra gave Kris a wide-eyed, confused stare, but Kris' only answer was a shrug. Wes was about to say something as something suddenly appeared before the trio: Darkrai. It was back looking as it was before, giving out a slight purple glow to stand out from the darkness around it – and it was much smaller than before, about the same size as an average human being.

"I may only assume forms of people I have already absorbed, so my options were limited," Darkrai explained in a soft voice. "But if conversing with my real form is acceptable, so be it."

Wes stared at Kris. "Is this happening? Can you slap me or something?"

Kris gave Wes a hard slap on the back of his hand. Wes winced.

"You didn't have to hit it so hard..." he whined.

Kris shrugged. "I take things literally."

"So this is real..." Lyra said quietly. "What did you do to us?" she asked Darkrai.

"What are you doing _in general_?!" Kris yelled. "Just 'cause you took our Pokémon doesn't mean we won't fight."

"Speak for yourself," Wes grumbled.

"I apologize for my methods, but there was just no other way," Darkrai continued calmly. "I had to talk with someone, a human being – and after accessing your memories, I have confirmed that you are exactly the right people for this."

Kris shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Accessing her memories? So, at any moment, Darkrai could blurt it all out? One relief was that Lyra and Wes looked equally nervous after hearing that. Wes in particular had his face shiny with sweat.

"You are inside me, which at the moment is the safest place one can be in," Darkrai explained. "You are not quite sleeping, but not awake either – it's difficult to explain, but it's the only way I can communicate with you, so bear with it. I will answer any and all questions in exchange for hearing me out, however."

Lyra was quick to it. "Why do that to that boy?!" she yelled. "What did he ever do to you to deserve unending nightmares?!"

Kris had to admit she had almost forgotten about that in the middle of all this, but Lyra raised a good point.

"I'm sorry it turned out like that," Darkrai said immediately. "He was my initial attempt at communication. Children are usually more responsive, but he was far too young to withstand it. I could have woken him up... but I realized it was the best way to lure someone here. I'm glad I did not have to wait long, because trust me... I have been on this island for a _very_ long time."

"You're behind this fog too, then?" Wes asked.

"Yes. As powerful as I am, I need to prevent certain people and Pokémon from seeing me before I see them. I fear I may be too late already. I can sense the power of the Eon Dragon nearby."

Kris frowned.

"I speak of the dragon-type Pokémon with the ability to absorb the essences of others and increase her power that way," Darkrai explained.

 _Crap_ , Kris thought.

"The reason I brought you here is because you must end a cycle that has continued for thousands of years," Darkrai continued. "I speak of the actions of the Pokémon known as Giratina."

It rang bells for everyone involved, but as much as she tried, Kris couldn't figure out the details.

"You may not know this yet, but you three may have been involved in thwarting its plans numerous times now. About a year ago, it attempted to act through a man it had granted supernatural power to. He betrayed Giratina, however, and was forced into the Distortion World as consequence."

Wes writhed in his chair, but Kris was too focused on Darkrai to notice. Slowly, things started falling together.

"Giratina is also the reason behind the tragic transformation of the Eon Dragon and her attempt to destroy the Hoenn region. And, mere days ago, it attempted to force its way to our world with the help of a man called Cyrus and the power of the Red Chain."

Kris stared at Darkrai. Sure, she had been through a lot – but never in a million years would she have thought all that was connected.

"What," Lyra said slowly, "on earth," she paused to inhale, "is Giratina?!"

"If you know the Pokémon Dialga and Palkia, then this will be easier to understand. Giratina is the third, an anomalous creation with power over dimensional distortions and antimatter, creator of the Distortion World, the balancing center through which dimensions intersect. For its violent behavior, Giratina was expelled into that world millions of years ago, with the power to return once it had redeemed itself."

"But then, five thousand years ago, Giratina, having seemingly reformed, grew disgusted over the new life form that had grown to dominate over Pokémon and claim the world for themselves. Seeking the destruction of humanity, Giratina formed an army and fought for control over dimensions. It overpowered Dialga and Palkia, but was defeated and forever trapped in the Distortion World by Arceus. Or so the legend goes."

"Every few hundred years, disastrous events occur in our world that cannot be explained. More often than not, these are attempts by Giratina to return to the world and claim it for its own. One such attempt led to the destruction of a city, which is now but ruins. And one occurred nearly two years ago, when a research facility ended up with the means for Giratina to return to its original form, which it can no longer use outside of the Distortion World."

Wes cringed at what he was hearing. Everything he had seen at Navel Rock and since... was because of this? Sure, people had told him that several times in more or less vague terms, but to have it spelled out to him by a Pokémon he had just thought to be of pure evil... it overwhelmed him, made him want to scream out.

"Now you know, and now you must decide: are you ready to fight this being? Even myself and Latias pale in comparison to its power, no matter how many Pokémon she absorbs into her."

When Darkrai fell silent, you could hear a microbe coughing gently. Kris, Lyra and Wes just stared at the shadowy Pokémon, barely comprehending what was being said to them. Kris glanced at Wes again – hearing about Navel Rock had him shaking and sweating even more, but he still stared at Darkrai, hungry for more information.

"You..." Kris said slowly. "You oppose Giratina?"

"A lot of Pokémon fight it, either serving Arceus or on their own," Darkrai said. "I suppose you could say it's the latter for me."

"But... Cresselia..." Lyra mumbled. "I thought you... with the nightmares... _eh_?!"

"Cresselia keeps me in balance, yes, but she is not my enemy no more than the night is the enemy of the day. We cannot live without each other, and our duty is to forever stay here and balance each other out. This has been going on longer that I can remember."

" _But_ ," Darkrai continued, "this doesn't mean I'm powerless against Giratina. The spores, as you call them, are not my means to infect more people with nightmares or control anyone's mind. They are the only thing that grant protection from the mind-reading of the Unown, Giratina's servants. The hallucinations and tricks they can cause can be far more dangerous than anything Giratina itself can do."

"Unown..." Wes whispered. "A-are Unown these weird little floating Pokémon that look like letters with eyes?"

"Correct," Darkrai said, leading Kris to wonder how Wes knew all this.

Still, there was something Kris desired to know even more.

"So, is it true?" she asked Darkrai. "Do I have one of those spores in me? Is that why the Masked Man took an interest in me? And why Janine spared my life? And what does it do? And-"

"I am unable to tell," Darkrai said, sounding a bit sad, though it was hard to tell with the formal, surprisingly pleasant tone. "Once the spores connect, they become an integral part of that person's essence. I believe there are forces stronger than me who _can_ tell, however. Either way, what is sure that even if you didn't have them before, you do now."

"W-what?" Lyra stuttered. "Even me?"

"By absorbing you, I have already granted you some of my powers," Darkrai said. "What we need more than ever at this time are people willing to fight, and only with the dark spore's power can you avoid Latias' miserable fate."

"How?" Kris muttered to herself. "How can _we_ fight something like that?"

"You have been successful before," Darkrai assured. "You may have actually prevented a large-scale disaster from happening already. As weak as your collective power may feel now, even the efforts of a single person can cause great ripples, spreading awareness of this issue far and wide."

"I must say, the way humans fear odd things has never ceased to amaze me. As afraid of you might be of darkness or Giratina, the thing you truly fear is right next to you. To have your thoughts and actions revealed to the other person is sometimes far scarier than what Giratina could do. Even now, I could tell what each of you was thinking..."

"You can't do that!" Wes yelled suddenly, nearly jumping from his chair. "You can't violate our privacy like that! If I can't even feel safe in my own head, then where can I?!"

Kris was surprised by this outburst, but was glad Wes was the one to do it. She wasn't keen on exposing her secrets to anyone, least of all the people there now.

"It wouldn't matter, at first, anyway," Darkrai said calmly. "Once you leave this shared space, it will be like waking up from a deep slumber, and all this will feel like a dream you can only vaguely recall. In a few days, though, the memories will return..."

"Maybe these guys are scared, but I have nothing to hide!" Lyra boasted, glancing at Kris quickly. "I say what I think!"

"And yet you may just carry the deepest secret of you all," Darkrai said mysteriously. "Why you have not told anyone yet is a mystery to me, but-"

"N-no!" Lyra yelled. "You don't know that! You _can't_ know that! Sh-shut up!"

Kris was curious about Wes and Lyra's outbursts, but then remembered something even more important she had been meaning to ask, had she not been overwhelmed by all this information.

"You could take Red's form," Kris told Darkrai, "so this means you absorbed him?"

"He came to me two months ago," Darkrai said plainly. "He understood me unlike any human before. He let himself be absorbed so I could tell this to him. I then let him go, and have not heard of him since."

"What did he want?" Kris asked. "I've been trying to follow his tracks for so long... he clearly knows something we don't!"

"I cannot say at this time, as I was not able to fully absorb his memories and thoughts – it was as if he was blocking them from me," Darkrai said. "Clearly, he knew what would happen once absorbed by me and came prepared..."

Darkrai ended its sentence abruptly and its blue eyes shifted a little, as if it was surveying something.

"It is as I feared," it said. "She is here. The Eon Dragon. And from the look of things, she has absorbed Cresselia."

Kris stood up.

"We have to do something!" she said. "You want us to fight, so let's do it! Let us out of here."

"Even my power is not enough to defeat her," Darkrai said. "There's nothing you can do. For all I know, Latias' rampage may destroy the entire west coast of Sinnoh. I cannot let harm come to you. Latias is not your enemy here."

"Then... what?" Kris wondered.

"I will face her," Darkrai said with determination. "There may not be much that I can do, but I can still protect you. Do not worry, as you will not even be able to see, hear or feel the battle outside in any way."

"You can't keep us in here forever!" Lyra protested. "I thought you were on the good side."

"I am on the 'side' that opposes Giratina," Darkrai said simply. "And I will do whatever it takes to achieve my goal. You three are too important to lose now. Fear not, as long as I stay in one piece, no harm can come to you."

"Against Latias, I'd say there's more than enough reason to worry," Wes muttered and squeezed the armrests of his chair.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Canalave City, Sinnoh** _

Despite not being a flying-type, Cynthia's Garchomp was nimbly gliding around Canalave City, using walls of buildings as springboards to bounce around, dodging Latias' attacks. Cynthia had no choice but to let Latias take the battle into the city, well aware of the screaming and pointing bystanders below. She could only hope that they had the common sense to get to a shelter immediately.

Following the fighting duo were Iris and Fraxure, who sat on Cynthia's Togekiss. Latias completely ignored them, her eyes on Garchomp, the grand prize. Iris, too, had wondered why Cynthia had let Latias come to the city, where so many innocents could get hurt or worse. Still, she tried to push it out of her mind, concentrating on the task Cynthia had given her: getting the Lunar Wing safely to Eldritch's house. And, as Cynthia had said, should "something happen to her", Iris was given a book with instructions on how to do the ritual.

Iris really hoped "something" wouldn't happen to Cynthia.

People all over the city finally had the courage to come out to gawk at the battle, screaming as Latias' constant Mist Ball and Dark Pulse attacks shattered windows and obliterated cars down below as Cynthia and Garchomp dodged the attacks. Latias never seemed to run out of energy, not leaving Garchomp any time to counterattack.

As Iris tried to get to Eldritch's, she suddenly heard Garchomp's ear-piercing roar reverberating throughout the city. Cynthia jumped out of the dragon-type's back and on a roof of a building as Garchomp was finally hit by a Mist Ball, though it quickly regained its composure, surprising Latias.

"Now, Dragon Rush!" Cynthia ordered.

Just like with Regigigas, Garchomp made the two appendages sticking out of its head to glow blue as it suddenly did a high-speed charge towards Latias. But Latias merely dodged the move, leading Garchomp to burst right through a window and into a building.

"Togekiss!" Iris screamed to the white Pokémon she was sitting on. "Turn around! We have to help Cynthia!"

Togekiss didn't respond. It had been ordered to get Iris to her destination, after all.

"Listen, you!" Iris yelled into the Togekiss' ear. "You may be a fairy-type, but even you can't handle all of my Pokémon at once. Or maybe I should just let them out of their Poké Balls right now and we'll all fall down like rocks. Either that, or you take us to Cynthia right now! Only she can heal that kid, anyway!"

As if to prove Iris' point, Fraxure poked at Togekiss with its tusks, ready to slash the flying Pokémon with them if necessary. Togekiss slowed down and turned around, heading back towards the battle.

Garchomp had disappeared from sight as it crashed into a building, but Cynthia had already sent out her Glaceon and the fighting continued. Latias clearly didn't want to risk getting hit by Glaceon's Ice Beams, which it was able to spam continuously, keeping Latias on the defensive. But unlike Latias, Glaceon couldn't keep this up forever.

Togekiss let Iris and Fraxure down next to the docks, where Iris had a clear view of the battle above, then flew towards Cynthia again. Iris let Dragalge and Goodra out of their Poké Balls, letting them soak in the water of the docks. Goodra immediately started frolicking around while Dragalge dived and jumped out of the water in glee.

"Sorry, you two, but there's no time for that!" Iris said quickly. "Feel that power up there? That's Latias. You remember her, right, Dragalge?"

Dragalge and Goodra turned serious as they set their eyes on Latias, now chasing after an exhausted Glaceon who just barely dodged her Dragon Pulse attack.

"Now Fraxure, Dragalge, Goodra," Iris commanded, "simultaneous Dragon Pulse!"

All three Pokémon launched a ball of blue energy towards Latias. The Eon Dragon was forced to dodge the hits, giving Cynthia a brief window of opportunity. She quickly withdrew her exhausted Glaceon and jumped on her Togekiss' back as the angelic Pokémon flew by. As Latias was about to fire a Mist Ball, Togekiss retaliated with a Dazzling Gleam attack, finally dealing damage against Latias and blinding her. Cynthia and Togekiss flew away while Latias screamed in rage, beginning to chase after them.

"Dragalge, use the canal to go after them," Iris ordered "Goodra, Fraxure, you're with me! We have to follow them on foot!"

Dragalge nodded and submerged, while Goodra climbed out of the water and tried its best to keep up with Iris and Fraxure as they ran through the streets of Canalave, past panicked people trying their best to run in the opposite direction.

However, as she ran, Iris was suddenly stopped when someone pulled her to a side alley, Fraxure and Goodra following. They almost started attacking to defend their trainer, until they realized who had done the pulling: a young woman in a pink dress with long, blonde hair.

"Caitlin?!" Iris gasped. "When did you get here?"

"I was supposed to handle things for Cynthia at the Sinnoh League, but the tournament had to be put on hold until the Champion returns," Caitlin answered calmly. "Now, I'm helping her as a member of the Legendary Pokémon Society."

"Indeed," replied a tall, handsome man with long purple hair and matching purple-tinted glasses whom Iris just noticed. "We can't let the Champion be the only one to risk her life."

"Iris, this is Lucian of Sinnoh's Elite Four," Caitlin said. "A member of the Society and a psychic-type user _almost_ as good as me."

Lucian smiled. "We'll see, won't we."

"Well, if that's the case, why don't you do something?!" Iris yelled at the two. "Cynthia is up there risking her life right now! Even with the type advantage, Togekiss can't hold out for long!"

"The trap has already been set," Lucian assured. "But perhaps we should go and watch?"

Caitlin yawned. "Yes, perhaps we should. Otherwise, Cynthia will have won before we get there."

Lucian and Caitlin left the alley and calmly started walking towards the direction of Togekiss' and Latias' battle. Iris couldn't understand how they could be so calm. _They_ hadn't seen what Latias could do in Hoenn, or back during the thing with Regigigas!

But as Iris went after Caitlin and Lucian, Cynthia and Togekiss flew above them, Cynthia giving the two Elite Four members a quick nod. And soon, Latias came from around the corner in hot pursuit.

"NOW!" Caitlin and Lucian yelled.

Latias' flight suddenly stopped as a transparent wall that looked like glass but felt like concrete stopped her advance, resulting in a sickening crunching sound. As Latias was in a daze, Caitlin's Gothitelle and Lucian's Bronzong came from another side alley, their sight set on Latias, who let out another echoing scream of rage.

"Our Pokémon have long since learned to hide their presences," Lucian informed Iris. "Latias was so focused on her goal and so beyond our league that she didn't even consider anyone besides Cynthia's Pokémon touching her."

"That, and they can create nigh-impenetrable psychic walls," Caitlin said. "Perhaps Latias will learn not to underestimate us lowly beings..."

Iris shook her head. "It's no use!" she cried, causing Lucian and Caitlin to stare at her. "She can-"

But Latias did the explaining for her. A dark aura surrounded her as she let out a stream of Dark Pulse attacks in every direction, shattering the psychic wall. Gothitelle tried to use Shadow Ball while Bronzong prepared to use Flash Cannon, but Latias was already aiming her next Dark Pulse at them.

Concerned, Caitlin and Lucian ran to their Pokémon, despite Iris' protest. Within seconds, Latias' Dark Pulse had hit them, knocking both powerful psychic-types out in one blast, destroying a part of the cobblestone street and sending the two Elites flying.

This had bought Cynthia and Togekiss a few precious seconds, however. They had turned around and were coming towards Latias. After another Dazzling Gleam from Togekiss, Latias yelled in pain, the dark aura disappearing from around her. She still wasn't even close to coming down, though.

While this was happening, Iris went to check up on the Elites. They were still breathing and moving weakly, though too hurt to go anywhere. Their Pokémon seemed to be in similar conditions. Iris nearly tripped on the huge holes Latias' attack had left on the street.

" _Idiots_!" Latias screamed. " _Did you already forget that I have absorbed your precious Cresselia?!_ _That means, that whatever attacks she may have known,_ I _know_! _Aurora Beam!_ "

Togekiss was hit by the multicolored beam of freezing energy before Cynthia even got a word out, the attack hitting its wing. Both it and Cynthia fell, but before Cynthia hit the ground, she quickly withdrew Togekiss. This cost her the chance to fall gracefully, and instead, she landed painfully on her back and didn't get up.

"Cynthia!" Iris screamed.

But another sound covered Iris' screaming entirely: the roar of Garchomp. Despite being burnt, battered and having lost several scales, the dragon-type charged towards Latias at full speed. Latias only looked pleased at this and formed a pink ball of energy in her mouth – apparently Moonblast was also part of Cresselia's arsenal.

But the Moonblast didn't strike Garchomp like Iris had seen it usually do. Instead, Latias kept making the energy sphere bigger and bigger as Garchomp flew towards her, heedless of the danger. Iris tried to yell out a warning, but as soon as Garchomp was close enough to deal a physical blow, Latias detonated the Moonblast attack.

This caused an explosion, followed by a shower of blindingly bright pink light. More pieces of debris flew all over as Iris shielded her eyes and took cover. She could hear something heavy drop nearby and faintly heard Fraxure and Dragalge making noise, but all Iris could focus on was shielding herself from the shock wave.

After a few agonizing seconds, it was over. Iris opened her eyes, only to see the horrifying damage. Large chunks of the surrounding buildings had been blown off, along with several cars, lampposts and parts of the street. Cynthia's Garchomp lay unconscious just a few meters away from Iris, while Cynthia herself was still on the ground, not moving. Fraxure and Goodra had been knocked out by the Moonblast, too, even from the distance Latias was at. Lucian, Caitlin, Bronzong and Gothitelle weren't moving either – only Iris was left standing.

That, and Latias, who still floated above her, having surprised even herself with the power of the Moonblast.

"Wait!" Iris screamed as Latias set her sight on Garchomp.

Latias turned to look at Iris, as if she had just noticed her presence – which she probably had. However, she actually gave a reaction as she recognized her.

" _You again_ ," Latias said with a shaky voice. " _Why do you always appear when I have absorbed another being's essence? Why do you keep following me like this?! Your Pokémon are not this strong. And you... you are nothing but a human, so weak that making you explode would be as effortless as breathing to me._ "

Iris hadn't figured out a strategy or even a grand speech, her legs shaking as she stared into the Latias' hauntingly white eyes. But she had no place to go, so she might as well say what was on her mind.

"Why do you do this?!" she asked the Pokémon. "I know what happened to you! I know you're not really evil! You know it too, don't you?!"

" _Yeah, I've heard that too many times before from that traitor Mewtwo_ ," Latias scoffed. " _You know what those humans did and you still oppose me? Then that just proves that you're as rotten as the rest!_ "

"I only oppose pointless death and destruction!" Iris argued. "Trust me, if you'd let me, I'd gladly join you in beating that Charon guy's face in! And you're right... I am to blame. We all are. Everyone who turned a blind eye to the suffering of others, people or Pokémon, shares blame in what happened to you."

"... _do you really think that?"_ Latias asked. " _Then be quiet and watch me absorb this foolish Garchomp._ _To think, such a creature with great potential, throwing away its pride as a dragon-type to serve a human... what a miserable creature_."

" _But_ ," Iris continued despite knowing she probably shouldn't, "it is not foolish! And neither are my Pokémon, the ones you almost killed just now! Garchomp and Cynthia are friends! They help each other become stronger, and they use that strength to protect, not destroy!"

" _QUIET_!"

Using her psychic powers, Latias lifted Iris off her feet and chucked her against the stone all of the nearby building. The force and distance weren't that great, but Iris still got the air knocked out of her and slumped down on her side, gasping for air.

" _Annoying as you are, you are not even worth killing_ ," Latias said and turned to Garchomp again. " _And I need someone to witness as I become the strongest Pokémon alive. Someone has to tell the rest of the humans what's coming to them so I can see the looks of fear on their faces. I want every human to suffer even one percent of the pain I had to go through!_ _And every Pokémon allied with them, too!_ "

"N... no..."

Latias glared at Iris, frowning and clenching her teeth as she saw the girl slowly get up on her feet, coughing as she talked.

"When I first met Cynthia," Iris said weakly and stumbled towards Latias, "I told her that there are no evil dragon-type Pokémon. And I believe that! I don't think there is an evil Pokémon in this world. And I love dragon-types above all. You have such great power, pride and the ability to protect nature, and your fellow Pokémon."

Iris coughed again, tasting blood in her mouth, but still kept staring at Latias.

"After all this, I still blame Charon, Cyrus and Team Galactic for this – not you!" she said. "What good is this mindless destruction and blindly gaining more power going to do to you? That Garchomp never did anything to you! If you have to absorb someone... then it might as well be me instead!"

Latias stared at Iris, who could see Cynthia struggling to get up from the corner of her eye.

" _Listen, girl_ ," Latias said unusually quietly, " _that's really brave and all, but no amount of speeches about all that garbage is going to change my mind. Charon's day of reckoning will come, but if nothing else, he has shown me the right way. I have to keep getting stronger. I will surpass everyone! Every Pokémon, my brother and that stupid Mewtwo included! Trying to absorb you would probably just make me weaker or something._ "

"Latias!"

But before Iris could reach out to her, Latias was suddenly bombarded by more Dragon Pulse attacks. With most of the buildings around destroyed, Iris could see the attacker, swimming in the canal two blocks away: Dragalge, whom Iris had almost forgotten.

"Dragalge, no!" she screamed, wondering if it could even hear her. "That's pointless!"

" _I really_ ," Latias sighed, " _don't like being interrupted. LUSTER PURGE!_ "

A destructive pink beam of energy from Latias was all it took to knock Dragalge unconscious. It only hit its general vicinity – a direct hit would have likely been fatal.

" _I told you_!" Latias boasted. " _No Pokémon or human here is good enough to face... to face... hmm..._ "

Latias suddenly stopped her speech and turned her attention skyward. Cynthia, who had managed to stand up just barely, did the same, along with Iris, who gasped.

From the depths of the haze above them, a shadowy Pokémon with long arms, white hair and glowing blue eyes appeared. From the look on Cynthia's face, Iris could guess what it was, and Latias' excitement confirmed it.

" _Finally, the REAL grand prize,_ " she scoffed. " _How nice that you saved me the trouble of flying around in this fog trying to find you._ _I can understand – being a part of me is a great honor. I'm sure Cresselia and Regigigas would agree._ "

Suddenly, Darkrai pointed its claw-like finger at Latias and fired a Dark Pulse which Latias dodged only barely. Iris hit the ground again, thinking the pulse would destroy more buildings, but somehow, Darkrai changed the pulse's direction, making it explode mid-air. The shock waves caused by this were enough to hurt Latias a bit, forcing her to fly higher.

" _I'm glad you have spirit_ ," Latias said, " _but I'm done waiting around for my Mega Evolution. So do me a favor and DIE!_ "

Latias fired a Moonblast at Darkrai, but Darkrai moved too fast for the dragon-type's eyes. In an instant, Darkrai was behind her, and this time, its Dark Pulse attack made contact, causing Latias to scream in pain as it hit. For now, the two went on to exchange blows. The city probably wouldn't be able to take so much stress, but somehow, Darkrai made sure every one of its attacks would either hit Latias or explode safely in the air – as if it tried to avoid hitting the buildings.

While this was happening, Iris was able to withdraw Fraxure and Goodra safely into their Poké Balls. She then ran towards the canal, praying in her mind that Dragalge had dodged the worst extent of the attack. Surely, the Pokémon Center would still be in operation – her Pokémon would be healed in an instant.

By the time Iris reached the canal, she sighed with relief. Dragalge was still moving, though covered in bruises and wounds. Iris patted it gently as the Pokémon weakly swam to her. Giving it a quick spray with a Potion, Iris returned it until it could be healed properly. While she did that, Cynthia quickly caught up with her, which made Iris cringe – she really shouldn't be moving about in her condition.

"Cynthia!" Iris pleaded. "Are you all right?!"

"No," Cynthia said bluntly and stopped to hold her left side. "Probably a fractured rib or two. Not completely broken or anything, so they can't damage my lungs."

"But still – you should not be moving!"

"I could say the same to you," Cynthia smiled, "there's blood coming from your mouth."

Iris hastily wiped her lips. "Maybe I just bit my tongue when I hit the wall... I'm fine!"

Iris turned to look at the battle up above. The fog made it hard to see, but based on the sounds and bright flashing lights, Darkrai was still putting up a fight. A few times, the battling Pokémon emerged from the fog, and from the look of things, they were about equal. Latias' attacks seemed to do more damage, but Darkrai was clearly faster.

While this went on, Iris suddenly heard loud noise from behind her: Shrew, Scorch and Wes' Umbreon were running towards her and Cynthia, Scorch having to carry and exhausted Shrew on her back.

As soon as Shrew noticed Iris, however, it was suddenly full of spirit. It leaped out of Scorch's back and into Iris' arms, madly squeaking and pulling and clawing on Iris' shirt.

"Shrew?!" Iris gasped in surprise. "And everyone – ow, Shrew, what's the matter?!" she squealed as Shrew scratched her face. "Where are your trainers?"

Shrew pointed madly at Darkrai, who deflected Latias' Mist Ball attack with a Shadow Ball. Iris turned to look, then suddenly squeezed Shrew very hard as her heart rate spiked.

"Don't tell me that thing killed them!" Iris yelled.

Shrew shook its head, however, and kept pointing at Darkrai, confusing Iris. Cynthia looked at Darkrai too, narrowing her eyes as she slowly came to a realization.

"That Charon guy said Latias' absorption-ability comes from dark-types," she said quietly. "Could that have been from Darkrai?"

Iris almost dropped Shrew. "You mean it _ate_ them?!"

" _Absorbed_ , most likely," Cynthia corrected. "But why go through all that trouble? There's no power boost from absorbing humans, and there's easier ways to kill them. And why is... unless..."

"Um..." Iris tried to get Cynthia's attention. "Um!"

Cynthia gasped. "Listen, we have to regroup!" she said. "Under no circumstances can Darkrai lose this battle!"

"...whuh?" Iris exclaimed.

"Trust me, if Darkrai goes... then Kris, Lyra and Wes go as well!"

Shrew's ears perked up as he heard this, and suddenly jumped out of Iris' lap. Ignoring Iris and Scorch calling out to him, Shrew ran as fast as he could past the building blocks around Canalave, past the piles of rubble born from the battle, climbing on the highest available ground, trying to get his warning out before it was too late.

Meanwhile, Latias, who was already close to exhaustion, kept trying to hit Darkrai, but with no results. Darkrai had also given up attacking, and was merely dodging Latias' blows, each one hitting closer and closer.

" _I have to hand it to you_ ," Latias panted, " _you're one of the f_ _ew_ _Pokémon to actually make me put in some effort._ _But I really want to get on and achieve the height of my power, so if you don't mind-_ "

"Are you sure you'll be able to get that so easily?"

Latias stared at Darkrai for a while. With no mouth and no echoing psychic voice, it took a while to tell that it was Darkrai who said it.

" _Smart enough to string words together, huh_?" Latias mocked. " _Too bad you're not making any sense. Once you'll finally learn your place and give up, I'll be able to achieve Mega Evolution, and-_ "

"Maybe you will," Darkrai said, "but that 'height of your power' stuff? It will be nothing but a pipe dream. Surely your brother must have taught you that m- _"_

" _SHUT UP!_ "

Darkrai easily dodged another Moonblast attack, and the pace Latias was firing them at was leaving her even more exhausted.

" _I don't know how you_ _know about him_ ," Latias snarled, " _but_ _it's useless bringing him_ _into this_ _. I'm stronger than he will ever be! It's... it's his fault this happened... he tried to shelter me from_ _this incredible power!_ _He left me alone..._ "

"And that's where you're wrong," Darkrai stated. "You're not alone. You think you've only gotten the powers of those whose essences you have stolen? Just listen. Can't you hear their voices? Regigias, Cresselia... and your brother?"

Latias stared at Darkrai, but in truth, she wasn't looking at it all. Her eyes were with horror, like something she had long since suspected had finally been confirmed. Darkrai took advantage of this immobilization and fired a Dark Pulse directly at Latias, knocking the dragon flat on a nearby rooftop.

As Latias struggled to get up, Darkrai gathered more dark energy between its claw-like hands.

"I truly pity you," Darkrai said, "but you had your chance of redemption and failed. Unlike Mewtwo... I am not merciful."

While Darkrai was charging the attack, Latias still struggled to get back in the air, tormented by something inside her. Shrew was climbing on the nearest building he could find, desperate to stop something from happening before...

It was too late.

Taking advantage of Darkrai's and Latias' distraction, Croc had climbed on a nearby building as well and jumped up with all its might, landing on to of Darkrai and interrupting its attack. Roaring furiously, Croc clawed and bit Darkrai everywhere he could. Shrew wasn't sure if Croc wanted to get Kris and the others out... or if he was just getting his revenge on Darkrai and not caring if he got Kris out in one piece or several.

Darkrai eventually managed to throw the Feraligatr away, but the struggle had taken too long. Latias had managed to get up and fly high above Darkrai, but not to flee. She was flying around in a circular pattern, forming a yellow, glowing orb in the middle. As Darkrai was about to attack again, the orb exploded and caused dozens of smaller spheres to rain down from the sky like meteors, all concentrated on a single location.

What happened next wasn't quite clear. Iris, Cynthia, Scorch and Umbreon were still making their way to the battle when a huge explosion followed by a blinding blast of light threw them off for a bit. By the time they got to the scene, Latias had already done her deed. Darkrai was nowhere to be seen except for traces of black, tar-like sludge scattered everywhere, slowly turning into particles which Latias absorbed inside her, just like with Regigigas.

By the time she was done, she was suddenly bathed in a colorful glow and visibly transformed, just as Iris had feared. By the time she was done, Latias was bigger, with bulkier and smoother wings and a grayish blue coloration. Even her irises and pupils had returned. Finally in her Mega-evolved form, Latias just gazed down on Iris and Cynthia with a blank look on her face.

And then, when Iris would have expected her to gloat or demonstrate her destructive power, Latias just... vanished.

While Iris would have liked to question why, something caught her interest more. Within what was left of Darkrai, covered up in the slimy substance, were three humans: Kris, Lyra and Wes, all alive and moving but just barely conscious. Kris and Cynthia rushed to help them, but Croc was faster. The Feraligatr tore Kris out of the slime with one swipe of his claws and grabbed her in a bone-crushing hug, only stopping when he realized Kris was too groggy to respond to it.

Slowly, people of Canalave were coming out of hiding, confirming that the battle was over. A spectator even stepped from the crowd and started helping Iris and Cynthia with lifting Lyra and Wes out of the slime: a tall man with turquoise hair. From his accent, Iris recognized him as Unovan.

"Let me give a hand," he told Iris calmly and helped her lift Wes. "We should get them to a Pokémon Center, quick. Though I fear they already have their hands full with the people injured during this battle."

"Yeah, let's," Iris said hastily, turning to Cynthia, who lifted Lyra on her feet with one hoist. "Did you get a look of what happened?"

"Not a good look, but I saw a glimpse," Cynthia said grimly. "I don't think it was Latias' Draco Meteor what did this. They would have been killed for sure."

Iris gulped. "You mean...?"

"Yes," Cynthia said bitterly. "I had it all wrong. Darkai blew up well before the attack hit. If it hadn't... no."

"What?"

Cynthia pointed to the sky. When another spectator helped the Unovan man and started escorting Wes towards an ambulance someone had called, Iris was free to turn her attention skyward.

At first, it looked good. The thick fog around Canalave was clearing... but it didn't get any brighter. The sky was covered by most unusual clouds of bright red and dark purple color, with little sunlight coming through. Right in the middle of it all, about directly above Canalave, the clouds had gathered into a swirling vortex, with something ominous, like a black hole, in its center, slowly expanding in size.

"Iris," Cynthia said gravely as she stared at the hellish vortex. "I hate to ask you this again, but I need you and your friends do us one more favor."

"What is happening up there?!" Iris gasped, her attention inevitably drawn towards the creepy thing in the middle of the vortex.

Cynthia bit her lip. "Cyrus," she muttered.


	19. When Worlds Collide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Legendary Pokémon Society gathers Kris and her friends for a briefing about Giratina and the threat it poses to the world.

_**Location: Viridian Forest, Kanto** _

_**Four days later...** _

"Ow! Watch it, you stupid, disgusting bug! Take that!"

"Kris! Don't hurt the poor thing!"

Kris and Iris were stumbling their way through Viridian Forest, Kris having to stop take a break every so often. She hadn't fully recovered from what had happened with Darkrai, nor did she fully remember her experience, besides a hazy dream where the Pokémon had spoken to her. As curious as she was, Iris had to stop asking as it all seem to do was irritate Kris. Still, Kris kept insisting she was fine, even when she nearly blacked out and tripped on a Weedle.

"This is stupid!" Kris complained. "Use the damn thing already!"

"Okay, here goes," Iris said and took something out of her bag: a red-tinted visor that acted like a computer to be worn over one eye, attached to the ear like a headset.

"Those things are so cool," Kris marveled as Iris put it on her head and turned it on, getting her vision filled with numbers and other statistics. "It wasn't always easy traveling with someone like Hilda, but when she sent that... well, I'd gladly get punched again if I could get one of those..."

"It's really too bad she had to go back to Unova," Iris said as she turned her head slowly around, waiting for the visor to react somehow. "And you're right – with this thing, this mission of ours is actually possible. I know what you're going to say-"

"Hey, I'm a realist!" Kris protested.

"-but I still think," Iris continued, "that we really have a sh- oh! OH!"

"Found it?"

"Well... hard to say. But there's definitely a high energy level here. And it's not too far, either!"

"Then off we go!" Kris said boisterously. "This didn't take nearly as long as I thought. And when we find the plate, we can use it as my ticket to joining the LPS!"

"Yours?"

"Yeah, that's right, _ours_!"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Earlier that day...** _

Kris, Iris, Lyra, Wes and Cynthia all spent the night in Canalave's hospital. During that night, a state of fear spread all over Sinnoh, repeating the Regigigas disaster all over again, but many times worse than that. Vortexes and bizarre sky colors appeared all over the region, just like in Canalave, but seemed to be focused on some key spots: one appeared above Newmoon and Fullmoon Islands, another on Mt. Coronet, another above a spring near Lake Valor and one above the Battle Zone, an island northeast from Sinnoh mainland.

Cynthia mobilized the Legendary Pokémon Society's elite quickly and arranged a neutral meeting ground for them: Professor Oak's laboratory in Pallet Town, Kanto. For Kris, the best part was that she was invited to join in the meeting as well! Of course, the invitation also extended to others, but only a select few. Just Iris, Lyra and Wes... and Dawn, Lucas and Barry... and Leaf and Silver... and even May and Brendan. And Professor Elm and Blaine managed to get in as well, having a happy reunion in Pallet Town. Well, that is to say, Elm stuttered a lot and freaked out over Blaine's loss of a limb while Blaine was his usual, gruff self at first until he gave his old friend a smothering hug.

Of the LPS, Cynthia, Lance, Steven, Wallace, Morty and even Eusine were in attendance, Caitlin having returned to Unova in case more vortexes appeared. The lab being so crowded and messy, Oak made arrangements to hold the meeting in another place: his house, where he currently lived with his adult granddaughter, Daisy. It was a big, lavishly furnished house for sure, but still not the opulent mansion Kris had expected it to be.

While Kris had seen Oak's grandson Blue on TV a few times and hadn't exactly gotten friendly vibes from him, Daisy was his complete opposite. He greeted the massive group intruding her house cheerfully and even gave the younger members of the group a tour of the place. Kris felt particularly excited seeing Blue's bedroom. As expected, it was mostly filled with posters of the man himself... as well as his rival Red, inexplicably enough. You could even see Red's house from the window!

Seeing the posters brought back memories – all the way to 14-year old Kris and Lyra neglecting their homework to watch the battle between Red and Blue on TV. For a while, Blue Oak was actually a big deal, the youngest person in Kanto's history to become Champion – he was only a year older than Kris and Lyra. That fame lasted about an hour, until he was defeated by Red, who was of the same age. After that, Blue was mainly known as Viridian City's gym leader and "the guy who was the Champion for an hour", something he didn't take well, according to Daisy.

Red, on the other hand, was Champion for two years. Few challenged him, and those who did were quickly defeated. When he lost his place to Lance, it wasn't because of defeat, but because he stepped down. The reason, however, was a source of wild speculation all over the internet. Some said someone as young as him couldn't stand the pressure of his Champion duties, others that he wanted to travel more without restrictions. Some bad rumors claimed he had lost his mind, while conspiracy theorists argued he was forced to step down because of friction between him and the Pokémon League. Either way, a few months after he had stepped down, he disappeared without a trace.

And even after all the other stuff that had come her way, Kris was determined to find him some day.

For now, Kris couldn't believe her luck, sitting in the Oak family's crowded living room. Blue himself was traveling around Kalos, according to Daisy, as he had apparently always been a fan of their culture and language, even if he knew only one word. But almost everyone else whom Kris admired was there. Cynthia and Lance were talking quietly in one corner, while Eusine was bugging Morty, who looked as fit and laid-back as he always did. Wallace had stunned the crowd, having arrived right from a Contest he had judged in a very revealing costume. Kris also noticed Steven had visibly blushed when Wallace had entered the room, and they were still talking about something, Steven being awkward while Wallace seemed to laugh a lot more than usual.

 _The best trainers in the world are all here_ , Kris thought. _Whatever you do, do NOT embarrass yourself, Kris!_

"Ooh, here you are!" Lyra said cheerfully as she sat down on the couch between Kris and Iris without bothering to ask first. "I thought you'd be in that Blue guy's room the whole day! You didn't stop to do something weird like smell his underwear or something, right."

" _You shut your stupid mouth_!" Kris snapped.

Everyone turned to stare at Kris.

"Wait, what?" Lucas asked in confusion. "Who's smelling whose underwear?"

"I know you have a thing for popular trainers, Kris, but that's pretty messed up, even for me," commented Wes, who sitting on the armrest of the couch, next to Iris.

"You went into his _room_?!" shouted Leaf, who usually never lost her composure, with her face bright red. "You... you can't do that! He only... I mean, I..."

"Oh, yeah, you know him pretty well, right?" May asked Leaf. "What's he like? 'Cause I bet he's super-strong and cool and confident and badass and all that, just like me! I mean, not as much as Red, probably, but-"

"What are you getting so worked up for?!" Brendan asked May in turn. "I could take on that Blue guy, and I'd _wreck_ him in a Contest!"

"So did he have anything weird, like briefs with pictures of Pikachu in them?!" Lyra asked Kris, who wanted to crawl between the cushions and die.

The in(s)ane conversation fortunately stopped when professor Oak entered the room. He gave Cynthia a book that had a specific page bookmarked. Nodding at the professor, Cynthia stepped into the middle of the room and cleared her throat – the chatter stopped immediately.

"Thank you for coming, everyone!" Cynthia said. "It wasn't easy for you to drop everything and come all the way here, I'm sure."

"Are you kidding?!" interrupted Dawn, who was positively beaming while Barry looked on in disgust. "I've never been in another region! I'll see so many new Pokémon! Oh, I should put a picture of all us on Pokébook! The look on my mother's face would be _priceless_!"

"Don't forget, though," Brendan yelled at her, though he smiled doing it, "once we deal with this, we're going to meet in a Contest!"

Dawn smiled back at him – the two had gotten much friendlier since Hearthome. Now that Kris thought about it, the Sinnoh Grand Festival had started during the four-day delay, but Dawn and Brendan had still dropped out without hesitation. Kris doubted she would have just interrupted the Silver Conference if she had been dealing with a situation like this back then.

"The Legendary Pokémon Society thanks you!" Cynthia told everyone. "All of you are here because we have faith in you. All of you have experience dealing with unusual situations like this. Whether it's because you're strong, smart or just really good at surviving, I don't know, but either way – you're all above the average."

 _Except Barry_ , Kris thought to herself, glancing at the blonde-haired trainer who was shifting around in his seat, unable to sit still for too long.

"I'm not going to mince words for you," Cynthia continued. "Most of you are practically adults, and even if you weren't, you've earned the full story. About a week ago, the Sinnoh region and everyone in it at the time were on the verge of annihilation. The ex-leader of Team Galactic and formerly respected businessman, Cyrus, nearly sacrificed every human and Pokémon in the region to perform a ritual which would open a gate to a parallel dimension. His efforts were thwarted, but not before Cyrus himself escaped punishment to this world."

Cynthia opened the book Oak had given her and put it on the coffee table near the center of the room. Everyone leaned closer to take a look. There were photos of inexplicable images on the sky, as well as illustrations of this so-called 'Distortion World' Cynthia had mentioned in the hospital: a dark blue space with islands of land floating around, surrounded by pillars of purplish fire, a spinning whirlpool of clouds beneath them.

"A powerful Pokémon dwells in the Distortion World," Cynthia told everyone and flipped the page of the book, showing an illustration of a nasty-looking Pokémon that reminded Kris of a giant centipede. "A Pokémon called Giratina who could crush Latias with ease. It's obvious that the likes of us couldn't last a minute in battle against it. Which is why we have to stop that Pokémon from invading our world in the first place."

It was deathly quiet in the room now. No one doubted that Cynthia was serious.

"How do we stop it?" Morty asked, being the first to break the silence.

Cynthia opened the book on another page. It showed a black and white photo of a flat, rectangle-shaped stone tablet. There were some engravings on it, but other than that, it was impossibly smooth, far too smooth to be natural.

"With these, we have a chance," Cynthia said, though no one except for the LPS members seemed to understand, so she continued. "The plates of origin. They are the only objects in the world that generate enough energy to... well, I can see you're barely keeping up as it is, and it's probably you wouldn't believe me if I told the full story, so let's just say these plates have enough energy to potentially seal the gate to the Distortion World completely before it is fully opened."

"You mean it's not open yet?" Leaf asked. "Those things above Sinnoh aren't portals?"

"They're dimensional distortions caused by an attempt to open a portal somewhere, most likely in Sinnoh," Cynthia said. "By themselves, they would appear to be harmless, but when enough energy has been built up, the vortexes will absorb energy from living beings and use it to force open the portal. From what we have gathered, it would appear extremely large amounts need to be gathered to even begin this process, so there's still some time."

"How long?" professor Elm asked quietly as he adjusted his glasses with shaking hands.

"Roughly a month, give or take a few days," Cynthia said.

" _Roughly_?!" Barry exclaimed and started babbling. "Do you know anything?! Do you expect us to take this calmly while you-"

"Sit down, idiot," Dawn told him, and Barry reluctantly obeyed while muttering insults directed at Dawn under his breath.

"We have people everywhere paying close attention to these distortions," Cynthia said calmly. "We have calculated the rate they're growing at and compared this data to previous observations of portals, though very few exist. If a portal opens, we'll be the first to know."

"Not that it matters if we let it get that far," Lance remarked.

"So, let's go get these plates, then!" Iris said energetically and stood up. "If we all work together, we can get it done well before anything bad happens!"

"Sadly, we don't know their exact locations," Cynthia said, and you could practically hear everyone getting restless at that comment, Iris sitting back down. "We have devices that can help track energy levels, however."

Professor Elm stood up as well and walked over to Cynthia, looking over her shoulder as she put a package on the coffee table and opening it, revealing a scanner-like device with a transparent visor that was apparently to be worn over one eye, attached to the ear like a headset.

"Amazing!" Elm exclaimed. "I mean, uh, I've developed something like that before, but to imagine they were able to fit a device that tracks energy levels in a machine that compact... with a visual interface, no less!"

"Yes, it's called the Aura Reader," Cynthia said and let Elm fiddle with the device. "It's been adjusted so that it should react only to energy emitted by the plates, though since we don't own any, it's still not completely reliable."

"Where'd you get something like that?" Leaf wondered.

"We originally contacted Alder to see if he could help," Cynthia explained. "Sadly, he had already left Sinnoh and we were only able to reach his bodyguard. Since she helped us out during the Team Galactic crisis, we trusted her with the full story, and she arranged this to be sent for us. We were able to get our hands on five prototypes, so the smartest thing to do would be to split into five teams."

"Are you saying these things could be _anywhere_ in the country?" Silver scoffed. "Or anywhere in the _world_? Even with those things, one month doesn't seem even remotely possible."

"Every plate is associated with a specific type," Cynthia said. "There are seventeen in total. We believe they're likely to be found in places with large amounts of Pokémon of that type. Also, more than one set exists, so we can limit our search to Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. Members of our Society are already hard at work looking for them elsewhere, but initial scans suggest a high amount of energy right here in this region, which is why we gathered you all here."

"Yeah, so now, decide if you have what it takes to go through with this," Lance said harshly. "Finding the plates is one thing – we also have to use them, and you can bet Cyrus will do whatever he can to stop us."

"How can he do anything from where he is?!" Kris wondered. "From the look of things, it's the same place the Masked Man ended up in, and I thought that once you go there, there's no coming back!"

"We know Giratina has underlings in this world – there's no way it could have co-operated with Cyrus and the Masked Man otherwise," Cynthia said. "Portals small enough for one human to use could already exist."

"And opening them isn't all that difficult," Wes commented.

"And you saw what Cyrus did before he fled," Lance told Kris, who ignored Wes' remark. "The Red Chain was destroyed, but he grabbed the pieces with him. If he's with Giratina, it would be ridiculously easy for him to fix that. And with that thing, he can do things no ordinary human could."

"Right, right, sorry," Kris muttered. "I just thought we'd have stopped him already..."

"We still wouldn't have all this time if it wasn't for you," Cynthia said sincerely, while Lance just looked grumpy. "To widen our search, we have some pinpointed some places where the plates could possibly be located, and we might not need Aura Readers there. One is very close by, in Pewter City."

"Where?" Leaf wondered.

"Near the Pewter Museum of Science," Cynthia told her. "I've hear you've worked there before, so you might help us arrange a search. Take anyone you want to help."

"There's another possible spot at the Seafoam Islands," Wallace said. "Me and this silver-haired dreamboat here," Wallace put his arm around Steven, "can take anyone interested there."

"Ooh, we'll go!" Barry said and grabbed Lucas' hand. "Me and Lucas will go! Sorry, Dawn," he mocked. "Looks like you'll have to find someone else to go with."

"Like I wanted to travel with you commoners in the first place," Dawn pouted and folded her arms. "It's just... I guess I'll go alone now, then..."

"Would you like to come with me to the museum?" Leaf asked warmly. "I could use some help there."

Dawn's face lit up. "For real?! Do we get to dig for fossils?!"

"Well... we're supposed to be looking for the pla-"

"I've always wanted to take part in a fossil dig! I want a Helix Fossil! Those things are godly!"

"Fantastic, we'll go right away!" Wallace said dramatically and started marching out of the lab, dragging Steven with him.

"Maybe not right away," Steven said awkwardly, "you need a change of clothes first. It's cold there and..."

Wallace, Steven, Lucas and Barry left the lab, followed shortly by Dawn and Leaf, the latter having to listen to the former's chatter about how much she knew about fossils.

"The rest of us should probably search different areas around Kanto," Morty said and took an Aura Reader for himself. "Me and Eusine will take north, starting with Cerulean City. That alright with you?" he asked Eusine.

For once, Eusine didn't have a quick, bombastic reply ready. "Hm? Oh, sure, I guess. Though I was hoping to-"

"There really isn't time for that Suicune junk!" Morty yelled at him and pulled him by his cape. "C'mon!"

"Me and Brendan will be a team, right?" May asked, then continued on without waiting for a reply: "So, I'll take one of these. Whoops! Oh, don't worry, I got it!"

Lance winced as he saw May handling the priceless Aura Reader like a cheap toy, and the way she tossed it to Brendan made Lance step forward and yank the device from them.

"Give me that," he snapped. "I was going to go alone, but it seems it'd be better if I played babysitter with these two. If we break even one of these, we'll have a lot more problems ahead of us than just the bill!"

"Hey, you shouldn't underestimate us," Brendan said meekly. "We've done stuff that-"

"Yeah, don't care," Lance said and put the Aura Reader on. "We'll go ahead and scout out the eastern parts, starting from Lavender Town."

As Lance left, he briefly nodded at Cynthia, then gestured at May and Brendan to follow, who did so uncertainly. Kris couldn't blame them – Lance yelling at them had startled even her. After they were gone, Lyra reached out for a Reader.

"I wanna go south!" she said. "I haven't seen Fuchsia City yet! Even when I was here for Karen's training, I didn't have time to check it out! Now, who should I go with..."

"Me and Iris will be a team!" Kris said quickly and grabbed another Aura Reader so roughly that Iris had to take it away from her before it dropped. "We'll check the eastern parts! Totally on it!"

Lyra almost looked hurt from Kris' tone, but when Kris glanced at her, she quickly turned away.

"Well... I'll check Fuchsia all on my own!" she snapped. "I don't need _any_ of you!"

And indeed, she marched away with her reader firmly in hand. Professor Elm looked at the remaining Aura Reader curiously, but Silver was faster and grabbed it for himself, carelessly shoving it in the pocket of his jacket despite what Lance said earlier.

"I can go to Celadon City, I suppose," he said. "I work better alone, anyway."

"You know, I can go with you!" Wes piped in. "I didn't even get any of those things!"

Silver stared at Wes for a while, as if thinking of the most polite way he could tell him to **** off.

"N... no thanks," he just said awkwardly. "As I said, I'll get better results if I search alone. Um, later, I guess..."

"Be sure to make use of the Reader's communication features," Cynthia noted.

Silver just waved as he left. Kris knew this would be her last chance in a while to say something, so she stood up and stormed after him, but was stopped by Cynthia.

"Hold on a second!" she said. "You'll start from Viridian City, right?"

"Um, yes," Kris said and tried to get away. "Is that all?"

"Be sure to report everything you do to me, even if you don't find anything," Cynthia pressed. "Professor Oak, I'm sorry to ask this from you, but I'd like to make your lab our temporary base of operations for this mission. We'll come here to gather our findings. I want you to work with professor Elm and Dr. Blaine as well. Mark every area we have searched and look for any information you can find on the plates or Giratina."

"I don't think I have a choice," Oak sighed.

Elm was enthusiastic, though. "You got it, Ms. Champion!" he said. "With the resources this lab has, I _know_ we'll find something."

Blaine just nodded and grunted in agreement. Making sure that was everything, Kris stormed out of the house, not even bothering to check if Iris was following.

Fortunately, Silver hadn't gotten far, as if he was just lazily walking towards the road leading out of Pallet Town, so Kris caught up with him quickly. Hearing footsteps behind him, Silver turned curiously, surprised to see Kris almost crashing into him.

"Sorry," Kris panted as she stopped next to Silver. "I just... wanted to tell you something..."

Silver raised his eyebrows a little, but gave no other response to Kris.

"I..." Kris wasn't sure how to phrase it to sound like she meant it – she wasn't even sure if she really believed in it. "Seeing you really help us like this... and meeting you in Veilstone City... well, um, it really does seem like you've changed."

Silver stared at Kris. "Was that seriously all?"

Kris groaned. "No!" she snapped. "I... did you find your father, then?"

"I know who he is," Silver said plainly. "Finding him comes next."

"Well, um, good..."

"Now can I go?"

"Wait a minute!" Kris yelled, now seriously annoyed. "I... I wasn't at Ilex Forest when you and Lyra fought Team Rocket, but even then, I know I can depend on you. And... you can do the same to me. If you need any help, whether it's related to your father or anything else... just contact me, okay?"

Silver's expression didn't change. He just nodded in acknowledgment, said "Okay" and walked away. Iris caught up to Kris just as Silver turned to leave without a second word, Kris staring after him.

"Wow," Iris remarked. "I know he's not much of a talker, but..."

Kris scratched her head. "I wish I knew what went on in his head!" she lamented. "He seemed really determined to apologize to me back in Veilstone, but now that he got that over with, it's back to Grouchy McGrumpypants."

"...is that seriously what you're gonna call him?"

"Kris!"

Someone else had chased Kris and Iris as well, though instead of running, he limped: Blaine, still using his cane to walk around.

"You're not running off again!" he grunted to Kris as he finally caught up.

"Blaine, you need to calm down!" Kris chastised the man. "You're still recovering!"

"Stop treating me like some feeble old geezer!" Blaine spat. "Didn't I already tell you that losing this arm was my own fault – and that I could make do with one! I came here because I had something important to tell! I couldn't finish what I wanted to say at the Sinnoh League, but-"

"Oh, man, not another spiel about not trusting the LPS and junk?" Kris sighed and shook her head at Iris. " _You're_ working with them too, now, aren't you?"

"Well, he really invited himself along, more like," Iris commented.

"To help _you_!" Blaine shouted. "Not _them_! Kris, listen to me: when Red gave up his place as the Champion, the Elite Four did some serious restructuring. They should have held another tournament to determine the champion, but instead the League just promoted Lance in his place! Didn't you think it was odd how all of their members were Champions or rich, influential people?!"

"Dr. Blaine," Iris said delicately, "with all due respect, you're not really making a good argument here."

"Don't tell me you've never suspected anything!" Blaine ranted. "As soon as Lance became Champion, two Elite Four members quit. The Pokémon League wanted to keep people loyal to _them_ in their ranks. They were afraid of Red and his influence! I respect all the Champions, but I don't think even they realize that they're just puppets to ones who _really_ call the shots!"

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," Kris said breezily and turned on her PokéGear to take a look at the map. "C'mon, Iris, the next stop is at Viridian City. Later, Blaine!"

"Bye, Blaine!" Iris said and waved cheerfully as she and Kris left for the north. "Take it easy! We'll be in touch!"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Viridian Forest, Back in present day...** _

"You really are hell bent on joining them, huh?" Iris asked as the duo navigated the forest, Kris complaining about bugs and dirt all the time. "Even after what Blaine told you?"

"Hey, I have great respect for Blaine," Kris said, "but he's a... how to put it politely... crazier than a Cacturne with the clap!"

"...whuh?"

"Think about all the great people who've managed to join them!" Kris pressed. "I've been a fan of people like Cynthia and Lance and Morty since I was little! They go out there and do stuff no ordinary people get to do! People admire them! They're strong! They're cool!"

"You still feel that way, even after all the horrible things that have happened?" Iris wondered.

"That's just it – I've been in the middle of it," Kris argued. "I deserve to be in their ranks. Way more than a certain fanboy in a purple suit I could mention..."

"Well, I admire them too, but I think you should take Blaine's advice seriously," Iris said. "He's done a lot for us, you know."

"What has he done for me lately?"

"...gave you that advice?"

"Sorry, not good enough. Besides, _he's_ the one who owes me. Don't forget who managed to tame even the dreaded Mewtwo!"

"You're not gonna let me forget that," Iris muttered. "And anyway, that's not the point. You shouldn't be so dismissive of your friends. Like, no offense, but you were really rude with Lyra back there. We could have taken her along, you know."

Kris glared at Iris. "You're not still on about that Sinnoh thing, are you?" she asked harshly. "I thought you let it go after admitting you messed up."

"...I think we both did that," Iris said venomously. "But I wouldn't expect you to remember that part."

"What do you mean by that?!"

Kris and Iris glared at each other, both of them getting really worked up now, about to unleash a volley of insults against each other...

...but it'd have to wait, as they both had to back away as a large gray and white Pokémon suddenly leaped towards them from the bushes, almost flattening them.

"Purugly?!" Iris shouted as she reached for a Poké Ball she dropped. "Those don't live in-"

"Iris, get out of the way!" Kris yelled and sent out her Froslass, the first Poké Ball she managed to get her hands on.

"Acid Spray!" a voice yelled from the bushes.

Froslass couldn't protect Iris as it had to concentrate on shielding Kris from the sudden spurt of corrosive, orange acid shot her way. The Pokémon behind that, a Skuntank, soon made itself visible, attacking side by side with the Purugly.

"Oh no," Iris said after sending Goodra out. "Don't tell me..."

"Prepare for trouble!"

"Mars, save that for _never_! We don't have time!"

Two women in Team Galactic jumpsuits, the purple-haired Jupiter and the red-haired Mars, emerged from the bushes in synchronized motion, posing side by side along with their Pokémon. Kris and Iris groaned, their nervousness gone and replaced with mild irritation.

"It's just them again," Kris sighed and glared at Iris. "See, if you hadn't been whining, this wouldn't have happened!"

Iris just glared back.

"...are you okay?" Kris asked her unexpectedly.

"...huh? Yes!"

"Good. So, let's beat them and get back on the road!"

"Hey!" Mars protested. "Pay attention to us!"

"Yeah, we're after the same things, after all," Jupiter remarked, causing Kris to glare at her instead. "We know about these plates."

"Oh?" Kris said, raising her eyebrows a bit. "And?"

"Ugh!" Mars groaned and pointed at Iris' Aura Reader. "Just give us the thing you're carrying! The whole forest heard you talking about it!"

"And we've been spying on you since Viridian City," Jupiter added.

"Yes, and that."

Kris smiled, and instead of responding to Jupiter and Mars, she walked over to Iris and helped her stand up.

"You know, I haven't had a chance to really battle in a while," Kris said. "In the Sinnoh League, I already had one battle and that was interrupted. And since then, my only battle ended up with me being eaten by the bogeyman."

Mars and Jupiter looked very confused.

"So I'm feeling a bit pent up, you could say," Kris continued. "Iris – what do you say, two on two?"

"...battle, right?" Iris clarified. "Yeah, I'm for it. It's been a while for me, too."

Kris nodded. "So, yeah," she told Jupiter and Mars. "You win, you get the Reader. We win... actually, let's just leave it at that. We win. The end."

"No chance!" Mars yelled. "We'll beat you and take the gizmo from you! We... we have to!"

Kris noted Mars sounded almost desperate. Even Jupiter had to step in and calm her down.

"Mars," she chastised. "All right," she told Kris and Iris. "We can accept this. This time it's a lot more... simple. No field strips, no backup, no chaos in the background. I like it. Skuntank, Flamethrower!"

Jupiter called the attack so quickly that Kris couldn't counter it, and Skuntank fired its attack directly at Froslass. Iris, however, was quick enough to yell at Goodra to step in. Goodra absorbed the attack with no problems, allowing Kris to order Froslass to use Shadow Ball.

However, their opponents were quick to learn, too. Mars ordered Purugly to take the attack, which fizzled out with a harmless plop upon contact.

"Oh, come on!" Kris taunted. "You steal even your battle techniques? Wow, you've only gotten _worse_ since last time!"

"Shut up!" Mars yelled through gritted teeth. "Feint Attack!"

"Double Team!" Kris ordered.

Purugly vanished, but before it could reappear and strike back, Froslass made multiple copies of itself and made them all spin around Purugly, confusing the normal-type.

"Night Slash on Goodra!" Jupiter ordered.

"Muddy Water!" Iris countered.

Goodra blasted Skuntank with a stream of murky, filthy water, blinding it and causing it to miss. Iris nodded at Kris, who took advantage of the situation right away.

"Ice Shard!" she yelled.

With Purugly confused and Skuntank trying to get the mud out of its eye, both fell prey to Froslass' barrage of sharp, icy projectiles, sending both Skuntank and Purugly flying.

"Damn it!" Mars cursed.

"Calm yourself!" Jupiter snapped at her. "Skuntank, Purugly, get up and flank them!"

"Too late!" Kris bragged. "Icy Wind!"

Froslass' next attack made sure Purugly and Skuntank couldn't get up, but had to stay down to avoid getting swept by the chilling blast of wind. Kris nodded at Iris in turn.

"Draco Meteor!" Iris yelled.

It was risky, but it paid off. While Froslass kept Purugly and Skuntank busy, Goodra fired an energy ball high into the air. The ball detonated mid-air, causing powerful, exploding projectiles to fall right on Purugly and Skuntank, knocking both out.

Iris ran to hug Goodra as thanks, ignoring her clothes getting all slimy, but Iris wasn't done yet. She ordered Froslass to use Ice Beam to seal Mars and Jupiter in. The two flinched in terror, but Kris wasn't going to turn them into human popsicles. Instead, she had Froslass trap Jupiter and Mars by creating an icy cell around the two, with thick bars and a solid roof and everything. Jupiter and Mars reached for more Poké Balls, but Froslass' Icy Wind blew them away into the bushes, just out of the duo's reach.

Mars tried to desperately break the icy bars, but only got hurt touching them with her bare hands. Jupiter was more resigned, simply glaring at Kris and Iris angrily.

"All right, you've won," she sighed. "Guess you're going to interrogate us or something next, huh?"

"Hmm... nah," Kris said with a shrug and withdrew Froslass. "I'm good. Bye!"

And indeed, Kris actually started walking away. This startled even Iris, but with one last quick glance at Jupiter and Mars, she withdrew Goodra and followed Kris.

"Hey!" Mars yelled. "Wait! WAIT!"

Kris stopped, but didn't turn around. "You know, my time is precious," she said. "You better have something good in store for me, or you're going to be staying in there until that ice melts. Which could be days for all I know..."

"You're not even going to wait until they torture us or something?" Jupiter scoffed at Mars. "Wimp."

"Shut up!" Mars snapped. "Everything's been going downhill since Cyrus disappeared!"

"Hate to say it, but even he was probably better than the guy who put us to this," Jupiter sighed. "Without Cyrus, things are just too... boring."

"Tell me, then," Kris said and folded her arms. "You have a couple of minutes to catch my interest."

Mars sighed. "Team Galactic had four Commanders before you started meddling into our affairs. Our mission was to serve our boss and we were the ones who were supposed to know everything about his plans, more so than even the highest-level grunts. But in the end, all that was a big lie."

"Yeah, good old Cyrus..." Jupiter paused and snorted. "Maybe _old_ is the wrong word. He's 27, the same age as us! You wouldn't believe that by looking, though. Anyway, the only one benefiting from his grand scheme would have been him. But before we knew that, we happily did our part to help him. I trained the troops and supplied the Pokémon. Mars ran the day-to-day affairs and logistics. Saturn was _supposedly_ Cyrus' second-in-command and in charge of the operations... and even he didn't know anything about the real plan."

"The only one besides Cyrus who knew was _him_ ," Mars said in disgust. "He's the one who helped us escape the International Police by pinning everything on poor Saturn. Of course, they would have done that anyway – with Cyrus gone, they needed _someone_ high-profile enough to blame or they'd end up looking bad."

"Are you," Iris said with a shaky voice, "talking about that Charon guy?"

Jupiter smiled. "Had your run-ins with him, huh?" she asked. "Yeah, he was the last to join. Crazy bastard only worked us for weeks and almost immediately made head of the science division. He hung around with the boss _all_ the time. Gave us orders like he ran the place. Fortunately we didn't have to watch him long as they reassigned him to Hoenn to run some secret project."

Kris tried to gauge Jupiter's words. It didn't sound like she or Mars knew _what_ this 'project' was. And, if Kris remembered right, they weren't around when Latias attacked Team Galactic's lair in Veilstone.

"And now he's back bossing us around," Mars scoffed. "He managed to pick up us and a half a dozen Galactic Grunts who were stupid enough to stay involved."

"If you hate him so much, why not quit?" Kris wondered.

"Because I'm not overly keen on prison!" Jupiter said. " _He_ wasn't on Mt. Coronet and he's got clout here. He used to work for some big company here as a researcher. He basically told us 'work for me, or never work again'. All he has to do is make a phone-call and the International Police will knock on our door."

"If we had a door – or a house," Mars joked joylessly.

"So it's _him_ who's after the plates?" Kris asked. "Why?"

Jupiter shrugged. "But I know how he knows about them. He's a master of violating people's privacy. He built these teeny-tiny drones with cameras that fly around and attach themselves into people and Pokémon. That's how we were able to spy on you in Sinnoh, too. He heard most of the conversation the Champions had while coming here. If I'd known I'd run into _you_ two, I would have put on some make-up," Jupiter added sarcastically.

"Well, thanks for that," Kris said. "I'm still not a 100% interested. I need to know where he is so I can kick his teeth in."

Jupiter laughed while Mars looked at the ground sadly, clenching her fists. "I can't," she said. "I don't... want to go to prison. He'll know it was me who said it, and then it's... no."

"Why should we pity you?" Kris said derisively. "You're the villains here! Own up to what you did."

Jupiter scoffed while Mars looked shocked. "Villains?" she repeated. "That's like from one of Cyrus' speeches. He'd say how history would see us as the heroes who changed the world and everyone who opposed us as 'villains'. He was so charismatic..."

Mars looked up at Kris, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't want to be remembered like that!" she yelled. "Charon is-"

"Shut up!" Jupiter hissed and put her hand on Mars' mouth. "We've told them enough!"

"They won't punish you so severely if you tell us!" Iris reasoned. "If you really wanted to do the right thing, now's your chance!"

Kris noted that Iris hadn't made any protests about kicking Charon's teeth in. Jupiter took her hand off, but still didn't look convinced as she glared at Iris.

"Swear on it?" she said.

"...huh?"

"If we tell you, we want full immunity," Jupiter said. "No prison, no punishment. We walk away as free women."

"Who do you think you are, trying to negotiate?!" Kris snapped. "That's not how it works! You'll tell us quietly or you'll scream it at us while my Feraligatr gnaws on your leg!"

" _Or_ ," Jupiter said with a smirk, taking a cell phone -like device from her pocket, "I broadcast our location to Charon. Then you can forget about getting the plate."

Kris slapped her forehead for being so thoughtless. And, much as it disgusted her, she had to agree. She let Croc out of its Poké Ball and ordered him to use his claws on the ice bars of Jupiter and Mars' cage. Croc broke the bars with one swipe easily.

"Croc is still bitter and hungry over last time, though," Kris commented and leaned on her Feraligatr, who growled at Mars. "Please tell us quickly, 'cause I still don't have full control over him."

Mars nodded. "Of course," she said firmly. "And while Jupiter is who she is... I want to help."

Kris sighed. Working with shady people was something she should have gotten used to by now, what with Wes, Silver and even Missile back in Johto. But this was a new low...

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Saffron City, Kanto** _

_**A bit later...** _

Wes was leaning casually against a payphone, writing down what Kris was telling him. She wasn't happy that _he_ of all people had answered her, but he had just happened to be in the area. At least, that was what he told Kris... and himself.

"Uh huh," Wes said. "Okay. Silph Co, gotcha. Oh, I'm _very_ close by, don't you go worrying over this now that _I'm_ on the – ow! Not so loud, please, I was joking! That said, this guy is just some scientist, right? Without those two Commanders, it's just him and six nameless goons. Right. Okay, thanks a lot, Krissy! Uh, I mean, Kris."

Wes hung up and immediately dialed another number, feeling sick in his stomach doing so. A smooth voice on the other end answered immediately.

" _Talk to me_ ," Cheren said.

"She's in Viridian Forest, probably heading to Pewter next," Wes reported. "Also, I hate you and hope that you stub your toe on your expensive desk."

Cheren laughed. " _Oh, Wes, you are so adorable when trying to be threatening. Relax. I got it covered. Now, your new assignment is-"_

"There's even more?!"

" _Shh, calm down. Think about the sand in Orre. You calm yet_?"

"No, plus I'm itchy."

" _Oh, well, never mind that. While your adventures with her at the Sinnoh League and in Canalave didn't_ quite _pan out as I hoped, she seems to trust you well enough. Now's the time to capitalize on it. Keep reporting to me about her, but forget your earlier tasks_."

"How much do you need me to do?" Wes scoffed. "I just barely got out of the hospital, after all..."

" _Yeah, it's a pity you don't remember anything, but alas... still, this isn't much, and we have plenty of time. About as long as it'll take to get all those_ _seventeen plates, I think_."

"I told you about them because I thought you could be of some use!" Wes hissed, practically spitting on the phone. "You have contacts all over Unova, right?"

" _Not as much as I'd like, and this is the first time I've heard of these things. I'll do what I can, but there's a chance there aren't any in Unova. Plus, I know Cynthia's friend Caitlin is already searching for them. Do the best you can to find the plates, Wes. And when you're done..._ "

"...yes?"

" _I could sure use them._ "

"You... what?"

" _I know what you're going to say._ _But you can't trust a word the Legendary Pokémon Society might say. Even if they're reliable, remember that they have to answer to people too, and those people are the reason our world may be sliding into_ _ruin. We need the right people to utilize their power and use it to save our world._ "

"By right people, you mean you... and you."

" _As powerful as they are in a Pokémon battle, those 'Champions' can't save us from each other. Don't forget that I'm doing this for everyone, not just for myself._ "

"This is no time to be sniffing glue, Cheren," Wes said. "So stop it with the bad jokes and help me find the plates."

" _I really thought you'd be smart enough to see_ _it my way, Wes. You are the son of professor Lily Marston from Orre, after all. And your sister, Jovi,_ _I hear she's graduating already. She'll be 17 this year, right?_ _I wonder if she'll be working in the Pokémon HQ, following in her mother's footsteps._ "

Wes gripped the phone firmly, almost letting it to fall out of his suddenly sweaty hands.

"...what is that supposed to mean?"

" _Just a reminder, Wes._ _I know more than you think. Just get the plates. I'll leave it to you how you deal with the others._ "

And with a loud click, Cheren hang up. Wes stared at nothing for a moment, his hand shaking as he held the phone.

 _But alas_ , Wes thought, _this is no time to lose my cool. If I must, I'll go through it to the bitter end._

 _You may not know my story. I'm a Pokémon bounty hunter. Some people don't know what that means. Well... even_ I _don't know what it means, actually. But, um, that's not important! I've earned my credibility in the tough streets of Orre. The hot wind blowing across my face, the sweat gluing my clothes to my skin, the sand in my underpants..._

_But now, I am up against one of my most difficult challenges. Here I am, in front of Silph Co's headquarters – suspicions raised! Apparently the place is currently closed for repairs, and has been for about a week... so ever since Cyrus disappeared, then._

_I am biding my time, waiting for the right opportunity to sneak in. I am now in my element. Infiltrating the evildoer's lair, like a ghost, nobody knowing my name-_

"Hey, Wes!"

Wes almost jumped into the air as he turned around wildly, trying to see who was calling out to him. It was May and Brendan, Brendan's cheerful smile fading when he saw Wes' reaction.

"Wait, your name _was_ Wes, right?" Brendan asked uncertainly. "Oh my gosh, sorry, I'm terrible with names!"

"Yes you are, but not this time," May said. "What are you doing here?" she asked Wes.

Wes tried his best to look aloof and mysterious. "I should be asking you the same question?" he asked the two pointedly. "Weren't you supposed to be in Lavender Town? With Lance?"

"We were," May sighed, "but while we flew over Saffron on his Dragonite-"

"And as cool as that sounds, it was _not_ comfortable!" Brendan interjected.

May glared at him, then continued. "Lance spotted one of those things with his gizmo."

"Such eloquent language," Brendan mocked.

May jabbed him with her elbow. Though Brendan winced, Wes noticed it was clear May intended it as just a playful jab. This made him a smile bit.

"What are you grinning about?!" May asked Wes aggressively.

"Nothing," Wes said, holding back laughter. "So, let me guess – the plate was in there?" He pointed at the Silph Co. building.

"Well... yes," May admitted. "Lance went to pick something up and told us not to do anything until he came back-"

"Which we _probably_ should do," Brendan pointed out.

May groaned. "But I want to help! I want to fight! I didn't want him with us in the first place! It's like we can't take care of ourselves!"

Wes suddenly got an idea. There were moral implications, for sure, but it wasn't the shadiest thing he had thought up. Plus, he knew May was a competent battler and even Brendan was apparently a lot tougher than he looked. If those two just bought him enough time, Wes could go and find the plate. Managing to be the one to find one of those would definitely earn him some points, enough to – sickening as it was to do it – successfully do what Cheren had asked him.

"I'm with May on this one," Wes said. "Who needs Lance? If the three of us work together, _we'll_ be the one to find that plate, and then even he will see that us youngsters can be useful all on our own!"

May nodded frantically in agreement while Brendan looked awkward.

"Do you see anyone coming?" Wes asked him.

"Uh..." Brendan looked around him. "No, it's pretty deserted here. I guess with this place closed, there's no reason to come around here..."

"Good," Wes said and let out his Espeon.

Wes only had to nod at the psychic-type to make him do his thing. With his powers, Espeon could easily pick the lock on the Silph Co. building's door, moving the mechanisms about until the door opened all on its own. Wes thanked Espeon and let it follow him as he entered the building, May and Brendan following.

It was dark inside the building, with windows covered and only faint emergency lighting on. The fountain in the middle of the lobby was running, though, creating an eerie ambient soundtrack for Wes, May and Brendan's infiltration. Making sure there was no one else in the lobby, Wes pushed the button to call the elevator.

And nothing happened.

"I guess it's the stairs, then," Wes sighed. "Come on!"

May nodded and followed eagerly, a Poké Ball in hand. Brendan had no choice but to follow as well. The second floor was even darker than the first, and it was deathly quiet - even the air condition seemed to be off. No sign of workers, no computers running, certainly no construction being made... the building had been made abandoned for a reason. And Wes believed he'd find his answer in the eleventh floor.

"We're going all the way up now!" Wes told the other two and his Espeon. "Hope you did your stretches, 'cause I'm not waiting."

And so, walking at a brisk pace, Wes, Espeon, May and Brendan continued their ascent, ignoring the empty offices. When they finally reached the ninth floor, there was a notice: to reach the president's office, one couldn't just waltz in through the eleventh floor, but you had to use a warp pad in the ninth to get there.

But as they frantically searched around the dark office for the warp pad, all the lights in the room suddenly turned on, and a voice blared through the building's PA system.

" _The surveillance cameras are still on, you know_ ," the voice mocked them. " _I can see_ everything _there is to be seen from this comfy board room couch. Mm, yes, feel that leather._ _It was fun watching you run around, but just to be safe, I sent some friends to meet you. We're a bit low on Pokémon, so I hope these will do_."

The card key -operated sliding doors around Wes, May and Brendan suddenly opened, and clunky, jerkily-moving robots suddenly started marching towards the trio, some with cannons and guns pointed.

"Crap!" Wes shouted. "I did not expect this."

"Are you kidding?!" May laughed. "If it were people or Pokémon, I might feel bad, but now... I can beat things up with extreme prejudice! Blaziken, go!"

May let out her prized Pokémon, a muscular, 6'3'' fire- and fighting-type with a love for battling almost as strong as Kris' bloodthirsty Feraligatr. May glared at Brendan, who was snapped out of his terrified state and sent out his Swampert.

"Overheat!" May ordered. "Everyone, duck!"

Wes didn't waste time doing what she told as Blaziken turned bright red and released a blast of fire from its body, hitting every direction, causing the robots to overheat and stop their advance.

"All right, it's easy pickings now!" May cheered. "Wes, you go on ahead and get that plate. Brendan, those things will start moving any second now!"

"Uh... right!" Brendan said nervously. "Swampert, Hammer Arm!"

"Blaziken, Double Kick!" May ordered and shot a glare at Wes. "Come on, move it, chump!"

"But..."

Yes, this was exactly why Wes had brought the two along. But seeing the two engaging in a fierce battle against killer robots, Swampert pounding one flat with its fist, Blaziken whacking the head off one, May even wrestling one down with her bare hands... he had _not_ expected it to be this dangerous!

Still, it was now or never. Without looking back, Wes told Espeon to follow and ran to the warp pad, preparing himself for the unpleasant sensation of having your body and the air around you zapped away and instantaneously transported to a different location, to the eleventh floor of the building. After adjusting himself, Wes and his Espeon continued moving towards the president's office, a large boardroom with the door wide open, practically inviting Wes to come in and wreck stuff up.

The boardroom looked as Wes expected, except for the enormous amount of monitors around the walls, showing footage of not only around the office, including May and Brendan's battle with the robots, but also from all over Kanto. No doubt this is how whoever was in charge had found out about the plates.

And indeed, that whoever was lounging on the couch. A short, hunchbacked middle-aged man with small amounts of purple hair wearing a lab coat was calmly playing something with his phone, ignoring Wes until he and Espeon stepped in, Espeon's fur standing up at the sight of this man. Wes was already getting flashbacks to Iron Island, when he saw that same man torture a defenseless Riolu.

"Oh, hi!" Charon greeted him. "Long time no see! A bit surprising that it's _you_ who ended up coming, but I welcome anyone."

"Yeah, sure," Wes remarked, readying a fighting stance just in case Charon decided to send more robots in. "I'm just as surprised that it's _you_ who's behind this. Last I checked, Team Galactic was finished."

"True, it is, and _thank Arceus_ for that!" Charon said. "My new organization can now focus on more important things. And while I liked the evil overlord lair thing our base in Veilstone had going on, this place just feels... nostalgic to me. Used to work here, you know."

"How interesting," Wes lied.

Charon laughed. "Well, it was not," he said. "But it did give me enough clout to move in, do an 'inspection' of the premises and order this place to be 'repaired'. And from here, I can see this entire region. Case in point..."

Charon picked something up from the couch and held it up for Wes to see – and apparently, Lance had been right. Charon held one of the plates in his hand, rectangle-shaped like all the others, this one grayish brown in color.

"The Stone Plate," Charon said proudly, pointing out the engravings. "This is what you came here for, right? I'm sad to disappoint you, but you need to find your own. My minions are hard at work searching the region now, but so far, this is all we've come up with."

"So you decided to steal our Aura Readers instead?" Wes asked.

Charon clicked his tongue. "Yes, since you're here now, I assume Jupiter and Mars failed. And _talked_. I'm almost hurt by this betrayal."

Wes kept eying the room as Charon talked. Last time, Charon had caught him by surprise with his Pokémon, but now, the only electrical devices around were the monitors and Charon's laptop. Perhaps Rotom wasn't here now. If so, Espeon could yank the plate from Charon with his powers... but that would only work _if_ Charon really was alone, which Wes doubted.

"Any chance you'll let me have that?" Wes asked. "I'd hate having to beat you up for it..."

"Me too," Charon said. "So... no. Boys!"

Charon took a step back as six male Galactic Grunts suddenly appeared out of nowhere, from under the large table, from behind the couch, one even dropping from the ceiling, the room being too dark for Wes to notice them. As they all gathered in a circle around Wes and Espeon, Wes noted their vacant expressions and the strange helmets they were wearing. It was like they were...

"Yeah, mind control, I know, not nice," Charon sighed. "But you should have heard their whining! Human beings are too soft these days. I send them on an important mission to look for these plates, and they demand food, and water, and money, and transportation! _Ugh_. Fortunately, their Pokémon are far more malleable, allowing me to make use of the boys here."

"You rotten bastard," Wes muttered.

"I have been told. Get them!"

The Galactic Grunts obeyed and attacked Wes and Espeon without hesitation or care for their own survival. Wes yelled at Espeon to focus on defending itself, letting it blast three grunts away with a Psybeam, though it clearly held back when dealing with humans. A fourth grunt did manage to break through, though, and attacked Espeon himself, tackling the Pokémon to the ground. Wes dodged the punches and kicks of the remaining two grunts and managed to elbow one in the stomach and punch another one in the face, dazing them.

Hand on Umbreon's Poké Ball, Wes dashed towards Charon, but the scientist just observed smugly as his laptop suddenly sprang to life. Opening its lid, it chomped down on Wes' arm, making him drop the ball. From the glowing aura around the computer, Wes managed to deduce Rotom's location.

"Didn't you learn anything from last time?" Charon taunted as the laptop squeezed Wes' arm painfully.

"I did," Wes grunted as he struggled against the computer. "I guess you didn't hear about the trouble I had in Canalave City. I taught my Pokémon a few tricks while I was there."

"As much as I'd love to see them," Charon mocked, "I have other things to do. Rotom, come out and use Thunderbolt!"

The laptop became lifeless again as Rotom emerged from it, electricity crackling around it. And that was when Wes acted.

"Umbreon, Feint Attack!" he yelled.

The Poké Ball Wes had dropped opened on its own, Wes' Umbreon coming out and charging at Rotom. Rotom directed its electricity at Umbreon instead, but the dark-type vanished and appeared behind Rotom, hitting the ghost-type with a full-body tackle. Before Rotom could retaliate, Wes ordered a Dark Pulse, which finally knocked Rotom out.

Wes nodded at Umbreon, who went on to help Espeon fight the mind-controlled Galactic Grunts. Wes then charged at a surprised-looking Charon and punched the scientist in the face, making him drop the Stone Plate. Wes didn't even care for the artifact right now, though, as he wanted to make Charon suffer. He punched him in the stomach next before using his legs to trip him. For once, the scientist was not acting smug and in control, making it all the more enjoyable for Wes to pull back his arm, ready to punch the daylights out of Charon.

"Wait!" he cried, shielding his face. "I know where to find the other plates!"

Wes paused.

"...yeah, right!" he yelled. "If you know, why did you send Jupiter and Mars to steal the Aura Readers?"

"To stop _you_ from finding the first, you idiot!" Charon snapped. "Your readers may be convenient, but the range of my machinery far outclasses yours. There's a whole bunch of them gathered in one location! I sent the Pokémon of these grunts there, but I doubt they'll be of any trouble to you... it's mainly Zubat and Bronzor, anyway."

Wes' body shook as he contemplated on Charon's words. A part of him wanted to beat him senseless anyway, but the part that actually thought about stuff was more conflicted. One of he grunts fighting Espeon and Umbreon took advantage of this and charged at Wes, hitting him in the back of the head and dazing him, allowing Charon to kick him away.

"Well done... you!" Charon praised the mindless drone. "Now go help your friends – oh, never mind!"

Espeon and Umbreon were losing despite their powers. While they held back their strength when fighting humans, the mind-controlled grunts didn't seem to feel any pain or other inhibitions, one of them even fighting with a dislocated arm. The two Pokémon were quickly overwhelmed as the grunts started kicking them while they were down.

"Hah! You see?!" Charon taunted Wes, who was still dazed after being hit on the head and barely hearing anything. "It would take an army of Pokémon Champions to stop me!"

" _How do you feel about just one_?"

"...huh?"

The windows of the board room were suddenly shattered by a Hyper Beam attack as something big, gray and spiky flew in. The beam flew over Espeon and Umbreon and hit the grunts instead, sending them all flying about and destroying their mind-control helmets while Charon was thrown back by the blast.

When it was over, Wes managed to get up and withdraw Espeon and Umbreon. The Pokémon that launched the Hyper Beam landed next to the destroyed window, and in a flash of light, turned normal again, Wes recognizing the Aerodactyl from numerous battles he had seen on TV.

And indeed, Lance entered the boardroom soon enough, followed by May and Brendan, who were sweating and had lots of tears on their clothes, but seemed fine otherwise. Lance glanced at the floor, looking at the pile of Galactic Grunts, now feeling pain again as they writhed and moaned on the floor, some passed out. He didn't seem to care.

"I already informed the authorities," Lance said coldly as he walked past the grunts and picked up the Stone Plate Charon had dropped. "I also told them about our friend here. Still, if you want to interrogate him, Wes... now's the time."

"...right," Wes said awkwardly. "Um, thank you."

Limping a bit, Wes walked over to Charon and picked him up on his feet while making sure he couldn't move.

"Right, about the plates, then," Wes asked with fake politeness as he dusted Charon off. "Is this your last favor to your boss, working for him even through the depths of time and space?"

"For _Cyrus_?!" Charon mocked and spat on the floor. "I already told you, I always found Team Galactic's plans garbage. I was in it for the money, and because Cyrus let me do what I wanted! I hope he never leaves that dimension."

Wes let Charon drop. "In a weird way, I almost respect you for being so straightforward. Did you want the plates for their power so you could rule over everyone and become rich that way – or were you intending on selling them to someone?"

Charon shrugged. "Whichever had the higher net gain. And whichever worked best for me."

Wes sighed. "Whatever," he said. "Now, for the location of the plates. Spill it!"

Charon licked his lips, looking between Wes, Lance, May, Brendan, the wounded grunts and his unconscious Rotom... lots of evidence piled up against him.

"First," he said suavely, "I want a plea bargain. Get me a deal."

Wes wanted to slap his face in, but Lance was quicker. He marched over to Wes and Charon, pushed Wes aside, grabbed Charon by his lab coat and headbutted him to the ground, leaving him holding his nose.

"You're the reason Latias became what she is," Lance snarled at him. "That's reason enough for me to cut you down right here, but I might reconsider it only _if_ you tell us where they are. And you can forget about any deals or plea bargains. Start talking!"

"Right, right," Charon whimpered. "If you look at my computer-"

" _CHARON_!"

The voice that called out Charon's name made the scientist shiver, unable to talk right. The voice echoed all around the building, and it was instantly recognized by everyone. The hard part was telling where it came from.

But that wasn't hard for long. Through the broken window, something bigger than an Aerodactyl soared in: it was Latias. Though unlike Iris had described, Latias wasn't in her Mega Evolved state, but looked just like she did back in Hoenn. She was panting, black blood dripping out of her mouth, as she stared at the helpless, petrified scientist.

"Aerodactyl, stop her!" Lance yelled. "Use Ice Fang!"

But Aerodactyl's move missed, while Latias retaliated with a Mist Ball that sent Lance's Pokémon flying to the ground. Lance put his hand on a keystone on his necklace, but couldn't even make his Pokémon Mega Evolve before Latias knocked Aerodactyl out with a Dragon Pulse.

The pause took Lance to withdraw Aerodactyl allowed Latias to dash at Charon and grab him in her arms. As small as they were, Latias' psychic powers kept Charon tightly in check, unable to move his body to even talk. It looked like he was barely even breathing.

"No!" Wes yelled at her, even knowing how futile it could be. "Latias, we need him!"

Latias didn't even listen. She smiled as she watched how helpless Charon was when held by her. Her 'hands' glowed bright yellow as she squeezed, making a horrifying crunching sound in the process. As Latias released Charon and let him drop, Charon keeled over and howled in pain.

" _That was Crush Grip,_ " Latias told Charon, who probably had his broken legs at the top of his mind. " _Just one of the techniques I was able to obtain_ _thanks to you. I'm sure you're happy I'm testing them out_ _on you... Charon. It's a shame humans are so fragile, because you're not going to last long._ _What should I do... tear you inside out with a psychic attack... freeze and cut off your arms with Aurora Beam..._ _or maybe I should use Dark Pulse on you with a slow burn until you're begging for mercy._ "

But Lance had acted while Latias was bragging, sending out his Dragonite. Latias barely acknowledged the dragon-type and merely glared at Lance in contempt.

" _I'm in the middle of something here_ ," Latias told him. " _Your turn will be soon, don't worry_."

"We need that man," Lance said firmly. Only he can tell us how to find something that can save this world from certain doom."

" _I don't care_!" Latias screeched. " _I knew it would come to this! You're sheltering this human once again, even knowing what he did!_ "

"He's definitely the lowest of the low," Lance said casually, "and I don't intend to protect humanity. I only protect this world and the Pokémon who dwell within it. Scum he may be, he can help protect it – you can't. Dragonite, Ice Punch!"

Latias was surprised by the sudden attack but still dodged it, following with a Dragonbreath attack. But Dragonite dodged the colorful flames and made its tail glow blue, managing to land a Dragon Tail attack on Latias.

"If we both fight like we mean it, this will take too long," Lance told Latias with his arms folded. "Just give up now. You haven't even Mega Evolved, even though Cynthia claimed you did. Was the power too much for you to handle?"

" _You_ -"

"Dragon Claw!"

Dragonite's claws glowed as it swiped Latias across the face, finally wounding the legendary Pokémon. Wes followed the battle with his eyes wide open – he couldn't believe Lance was doing this well! That meant Wes would have to do this part...

He let out his Zebstrika, then turned to look at May and Brendan, who finally realized to do the same with their own Pokémon, May sending out her Breloom while Brendan sent out his Delcatty.

"Signal Beam!" Wes commanded.

"Stun Spore!" May yelled.

"Icy Wind!" Brendan shouted.

The combined attacks hitting Latias several times from afar, combined with Dragonite's constant pummeling and clawing actually seemed to be hurting the Pokémon. Still, the worst it did was render it unable to move, while Dragonite was getting weaker with every hit.

Seeing this, Charon attempted to crawl away in desperation. But then something happened that horrified him more than Latias did. The air around him started vibrating and the room was filled with a crackling sound, as if an electric current was running through it. Slowly but surely, the blue crack of electricity forming mid-air turned into a purple, spinning vortex that eventually gave way to a pitch-black portal. Wes knew the phenomenon quite well from Navel Rock. The others, even Lance, seemed shocked, however, though Wes suspected Lance knew what was going on, just hadn't counted on it to happen now. A loud thud was heard as Brendan fainted, May just looking at him in disappointment instead of catching him.

From the portal, something emerged. Wes was ready to fight it, but was confused when the person was just an average-sized human male with blue spiky hair, holding a staff with six red jewels attached to it. Wes recognized him from numerous photographs and TV interviews – the question was, how the hell was he there?

"L-lord Cyrus..." Charon stuttered at him and grabbed a hold of Cyrus' leg while Cyrus looked down at him in contempt. "Help... me..."

"Charon," Cyrus said. "You were trying to obtain the plates for yourself alone. You never truly had any loyalty to me. I'm not entirely surprised, but still a tad disappointment. Sorry about this."

And before anyone could stop him, Cyrus offhandedly aimed the Red Chain at Charon and blasted his chest with a red beam of energy. It left a clean, slightly smoking wound, but other than that, you'd think Charon was completely all right after being hit.

Except that he wasn't moving.

" _You_ ," Latias hissed at Cyrus as she watched Charon's body. " _I wanted to do it! IT WAS MY RIGHT!"_

Cyrus merely glanced at her before turning around, ready to return into the portal.

"Do whatever you like," he told Lance and the others. "There is no way you'll be able to stop Giratina. I would advise you not to spend your time scurrying about in pathetic attempts to thwart our plans."

" _LISTEN TO ME_!" Latias screamed. " _You were that scientist's superior! You're able to go to another world at will. You... you mentioned Giratina! This is all YOUR fault_!"

Latias charged a Mist Ball attack, but Cyrus easily stopped it by blasting at Latias again with his Red Chain. The mist ball exploded, badly injuring Latias' mouth and causing her to flee while screaming in pain. As the portal started to vanish, Cyrus retreated back into the Distortion World without looking back.

Groaning, Lance pressed a button on his Aura Reader.

"We're going to need medical help," he said. "About six wounded here. Also one dead. Don't try too hard, though. They had it coming."

"Wh... why didn't he try to stop us?" Wes muttered as he stared at where the vortex was. "Have we already lost?"

"No," Lance said firmly. "We haven't lost until we've given up. But Cyrus was right about one thing."

"What?"

"There is no way to stop Giratina. Only delay its inevitable return."

Everyone went quiet, May focusing on trying to get Brendan to wake up, Lance tending to his Dragonite and Wes watching as Rotom also sprang to consciousness, sadly floating above its motionless trainer, giving him an occasional electric shock to try to wake him up.


	20. You Are (Not) My Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While searching for the plates, Silver finally confronts his father face-to-face, and he is not exactly as he imagined

_**Location: Saffron City, Kanto** _

It was a nostalgic feeling for Silver to be nervous at the sight of great police activity. Even if he knew his crimes in Johto were either too old and minor for everyone to care about, or in the case of Chikorita, long since forgotten. But still, Silver made his way to his destination through the dark alleys and shadowy side streets, avoiding the traffic of the major streets. Apparently, Wes, Lance and some others had caused a ruckus there a few days earlier and managed to find a plate.

With Celadon City checked and cleared of plates, Silver was free to pursue his own interests. And indeed, something interesting had come up just that day. A man with priceless information had finally contacted a Silver, requesting a meeting. But Silver knew what that man was capable of and looked behind his back every so often. His Weavile was following him loyally, always staying a little behind, skulking in the shadows and ready to strike if it saw its trainer in peril.

The meeting was in an abandoned warehouse at the edge of the city, near the northern gatehouse. It was with a man in a dapper suit with black, slick hair and a thick black mustache. The man was twirling his mustache nervously until Silver arrived, finally greeting the boy jovially.

"Ah, my friend!" Missile said and spread his arms. "It's so good to-"

"Touch me and my Weavile will cut you into ribbons," Silver told him quickly. "What you did at the Sinnoh League didn't exactly instill any trust in me."

"Oh, pshaw!" Missile scoffed. "I was putting on a part! Convincing, no? I have long since buried my hatchet with those girls. I did it because I was paid to. And besides, you wouldn't have been able to reach me if I hadn't done it, right?"

"I'm still not even convinced this is a good idea," Silver grunted, "but because of your help at Ilex Forest, I'm trusting you now."

"Aww, you're so kind," Missile said. "Totally unlike your father."

Silver frowned, clenching his fists. The time had come. As much as he may have changed, he wouldn't hesitate to beat this man's face in to find out the truth.

"Where is he?" he asked tensely.

"Cerulean Cave, it's located northwest from Cerulean City," Missile said. "They usually don't let people in due to the dangerous Pokémon there, but... the guard has a day off, let's say. He's waiting for you there."

Silver blinked.

"What?" Missile asked.

"You... wait, don't you want me to pay you something for this information?" Silver wondered. "Aren't you going to blackmail me? Aren't you going to at least pretend this is a huge deal?"

"That man has taken everything into account," Missile said. "He paid me to tell you this, actually. Don't ask me about it – go see yourself. See ya!"

And with that, Missile left, his hands in his pockets, whistling a cheerful tune.

"Wait!" Silver yelled.

Missile turned around. "Sorry, I already had lunch today."

"Who are you, exactly?" Silver asked. "How do you know him?"

Missile smiled mysteriously. "Find your father, kid," he said and started walking away again. "I'm rootin' for ya!"

Silver watched as Missile disappeared into the shadows.

**_~o~O~o~  
_ **

_**Location: Pewter Museum of Science, Pewter City, Kanto** _

Kris, Iris and Leaf had knelt around a table, eating the beef teriyaki Leaf had prepared them. Leaf herself seemed to be in deep thought, slowly eating while inspecting the light green plate Kris and Iris had brought over. Kris and Iris, on the other hand, were downing food like they hadn't eaten in days, not even talking or focusing on anything else besides eating, spewing crumbs everywhere.

"Thank you so much, Leaf!" Iris said finally after swallowing her last bite. "This is delicious."

"Yahanksh!" Kris piped in rudely with her mouth full.

"What's that?" Leaf asked her.

Kris swallowed. "Yeah, thanks!" she said offhandedly and continued eating. "This is awesome!"

"Well, it's nice to have people over," Leaf smiled and looked around her.

They were staying in the side building next to the museum where the researchers worked on some more classified stuff. At the moment, what with low funding and no notable projects going on, it was empty, and Leaf had made her home there after months of traveling around Kanto, the Sevii Islands and Sinnoh. Professor Oak had arranged it for her due to her lack of a place to live, Oak's place having been made the LPS' operations base.

"You can tell this place wasn't meant for long-term living," Leaf said quietly. "You have all the things you would need, like a kitchen, a bathtub and stuff, but it's cold, there's barely any furniture or decorations and there's so much open space... it gets lonely out here."

"Yohafgh-" Kris began, but when she accidentally spat some food on Leaf, she swallowed, wiped her mouth and looked embarrassed. "Sorry," she muttered. "I was gonna say – you haven't heard from Silver?"

"No," Leaf said and went back to looking at the plate. "He doesn't really make his presence known, anyway. I hope he's looking for these at least, instead of searching his father all the time..."

The silence between the three was broken by Dawn rushing in. She looked completely different than before, wearing overalls and her face smeared with dust and mud. She looked really excited about showing something to Leaf.

"Look, look!" she squealed. "I think we found something!"

"The plate?" Iris asked and tried to see what Dawn had on her hand.

"Huh? No! I think it could be an arrowhead or something. Perhaps it's a sign of an ancient civilization!"

"Sad to say, Dawn," Leaf said as she observed the object, "but that looks more like either a glob of hardened mud, or a petrified piece of Pokémon fae... hair."

Dawn looked disappointed.

"But," Leaf continued quickly, "what do I know? Pokémon biology is my field, not archeology! So maybe you're on to something!"

"Yay!" Dawn cheered. "We'll be sure to find something really awesome next!"

Dawn rushed back outside and towards the dig site. Due to her enthusiasm and unlimited supply of energy, Leaf had put Dawn in charge of the small group of workers who worked in shifts to find the plate. Leaf's shift had just ended when Kris and Iris came for a visit with the Insect Plate in tow, having found it from Viridian Forest. At the moment, though, Dawn stayed in the Pokémon Center. While she had no problem getting dirty for the good of scientific discovery, she was apparently too good for sleeping on a futon, and there were no beds in the museum.

"Shouldn't she be more concerned about the plates?" Kris asked Leaf.

"Ah, let her do what she wants," Leaf said. "The rest of us can focus on that. Don't get me wrong, I like her and I really wish I had her enthusiasm, plus she's definitely smarter than she lets on. But... it's better for the mission if she stays out of the way."

"Um," Iris said hesitantly, "about Silver's father..."

"I don't know who he is," Leaf said bluntly. "He wouldn't tell even me. Apparently his father left his family so long ago that Silver can't even remember him."

"That's so awful!" Iris said empathically while Kris pretended to only half-listen. "What kind of horrible man is he?"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Fourteen years ago** _

_**Location: Mahogany Town, Johto** _

An elderly woman lay on a bed, coughing violently while still attempting to do paperwork that was piling up next to her. While she wasn't extremely old, especially if you asked her, a sickness had aged her a couple more decades and she knew her time was limited.

Relief soon came in the form of her secretary, Matori, who entered the room and made an announcement:

"Madame Boss," she said politely and bowed the bedridden woman. "Your son is here."

A cold smile appeared on Madame Boss' lips as she gestured at Matori to bring him in. This act alone caused another coughing fit, but Madame Boss couldn't go out just yet. There was something he needed to say.

Her son, Giovanni, was led to the room by Matori. Donning a dark, expensive suit, Giovanni, who was in his late thirties by the time, looked like the sort of man who wouldn't be caught dead in a dank, underground pit like that, surrounded by members of a notorious criminal organization, no less.

Of course, he had known for a long time that his mother was the leader of said organization.

"My brat boy has returned," Madame Boss remarked as Giovanni came closer to her. "Sorry to tell you, but there's no plug you can pull. I'm not in that bad of a condition yet."

"Why did you call me here now?" Giovanni asked mercilessly as he looked down on his mother. "You've been doing this ever since you left me and dad?"

"Yes... for 30 years... and I was a member before I was even 18. And I don't regret a single day I spent in this organization."

"Not even all those years you spent trying to find this mythical Pokémon?" Giovanni scoffed. "This 'Mew' or whatever you call it."

"It's a shame I ran out of time. But you can carry on from where I left off."

Giovanni stared at his mother. "Why now? Why me? I have to hear about your past, the way you've been running this organization, from a second-hand source. You've done a terrible job. Team Rocket deserves to go down in flames."

Madame Boss coughed. "So what would you... have done differently...?"

"You need to stop looking in the past," Giovanni said ruthlessly. "You and this gang have been fixated on old values, trying to train ninjas in this dusty old hideout, only doing things that have this vaguely-defined 'honor'... and you only have some musty warehouses here and at the Sevii Islands! You need to expand to Kanto, hide in plan sight in the business world, make some _money_! That's how I got to where I am."

"Where you are?" Madame Boss laughed. "You say I wasted my power, and here you are, leaving your position as Champion behind for... what? Living as some family man? You know you aren't good enough to raise a child."

"Are you saying I'm like you?" Giovanni asked. "Because I would be offended if that were the case."

Madame Boss opened her eyes and used all her energy and focusing her glare at Giovanni. "Just thinking about the way you would run this organization leaves me in disgust... but I have no choice. The leader has to be my own flesh and blood. You have to promise... to find Mew..."

Matori stepped up.

"Everything has been arranged, Mr. Giovanni," she said. "Madame Boss has left you with free hands and full access to our troops, finances and hideouts. Do what you will."

Giovanni looked down at his mother one last time as he put on his hat.

"I will take over," Giovanni said. "I will run this gang better than you ever did. And I'm going to find this 'Mew'. And I'll have done it in less than twenty years. Farewell."

As Giovanni stomped out of the room, Madame Boss laughed weakly.

"He may be a grown man now, but he's still a loathsome brat," she croaked with her remaining strength.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Present day** _

_**Location: Route 4, outside Cerulean Cave, Kanto** _

Silver had found the place. The entrance to the fabled Cerulean Cave, or the Unknown Dungeon in the nerdier circles, was carved out from a hillside, looking like the mouth of some gargantuan beast. It was far enough from the city that Silver could only hear the flowing of the nearby river and groans from the wild Pokémon inside. He let the newly-evolved Weavile out of its Poké Ball.

"Weavile," he told the Pokémon seriously. "What I'm about to do now is very dangerous and most likely defies common sense. I did not obtain you in an honest battle, so I'm giving you a choice, just like I did with Meganium when I last visited professor Elm. If you want, you can always go back to your original trainer – I won't stop you."

But Weavile shook its head quickly and dashed into the cave ahead of Silver, stopping at the entrance and looking at him expectantly. Silver briefly allowed himself to smile at the Pokémon.

"Don't blame me if you get second thoughts, then," he said quietly and followed Weavile into the cave.

As he entered the cave, Silver turned on his Aura Reader. He immediately got readings somewhere from within the cave, so he started walking deeper. With Weavile by his side, Silver made his way through the dank, dark depths of the dungeon, hearing the cries and growls of various Pokémon, but all seemed to come from a great distance away. In fact, even though Weavile was constantly on edge with its claws ready to strike, Silver didn't see a single wild Pokémon during his trip. It's as if something had scared them all off...

The deeper Silver went in, the stronger readings he got, until the Aura Reader's visor indicated that the energy source he was seeking was right beneath his feet. But when Silver looked around, he saw nothing but rocks.

Silver nodded at Weavile, and together, they started digging their way through the pile of rocks, tossing them out in search of something, the Aura Reader constantly beeping and alerting Silver, his vision full of data.

Silver assumed he'd be there digging for hours, but to his surprise, Weavile let out a surprised sound after just a couple of minutes. Silver saw it too: something bright green was sticking out underneath the pile of rocks and dirt. Silver pulled it out – it was a thin stone plate, in perfect condition despite its location, the carving on the side clearly visible. This was apparently the 'Meadow Plate'.

As Silver inspected the plate, one of his Poké Balls opened, and his Meganium came out with a pleased but incredibly loud roar, almost crushing Silver and Weavile under it as it suddenly materialized.

"Calm down!" Silver told it. "Are you okay?"

Meganium nodded and nudged the Meadow Plate with its head. Unsure what his Pokémon wanted, Silver stood up and held the plate close to Meganium's body. Suddenly, the plate started vibrating slightly before it left Silver's hands on its own and floated towards Meganium's body. For a while, it glowed brightly as it attached itself into Meganium's body, and a second later, it was gone, though Meganium seemed pleased, jumping around with so much force that Silver had to grab the walls to keep his balance.

"You... enjoyed that?" Silver asked, to which Meganium nodded its head rapidly. "I see... Cynthia did say the plates had a connection a specific type. Perhaps Pokémon of those types are drawn to these plates and can use them someh-"

Silver was cut off mid-sentence by his Aura Reader suddenly beeping furiously, showing red warning signs and everything. Apparently, an incredible power source had been detected very close to Silver's location. It was at least five times as big as what Silver got from the Meadow Plate. Were there even more plates in the cave... or was something dangerous waiting for him in the depths of the cave? Silver had heard stories about this 'Latias' that Kris and the others had to face, and apparently it had been in Saffron City just recently.

Still, this warranted investigation, as Silver still wasn't close to the _real_ reason why he was there...

**~o~O~o~**

_**Seven years ago** _

_**Location: Viridian City, Kanto** _

From his darkened office in the second floor of the Viridian City Gym, Giovanni observed his achievements from the numerous reports his operatives on the field had sent to his computer. The Mahogany Town Hideout was undergoing repairs and was soon ready to begin running. The warehouse at the Sevii Islands where fresh Pokémon were being delivered had doubled its profits the previous year. And the Game Corner in Celadon City continued to pump revenue in, making Giovanni one of the richest people in Kanto.

And the changes he had made to Team Rocket hadn't ended there. Instead of operating from the shadows, Giovanni made sure that there wasn't a single soul in Kanto, Johto or the Sevii archipelago who hadn't heard of this infamous gang. People were afraid for their possessions, their Pokémon, their families, and most importantly, their own lives. And using that fear, Giovanni had effectively given himself free reign to do almost everything. Even the Elite Four were powerless against him, despite the continuing efforts of their leader and agent of the International Police, Lance.

But Giovanni's most ambitious project had yet to begin. For the past few years, Giovanni had carefully bribed the administrative staff of Cinnabar's Pokémon Laboratory, steering the direction of their research in a way that benefited him. When the stubborn, elderly Dr. Fuji retired and his more manageable son assumed his place, Giovanni essentially had the lab in his pocket. But there was one scientist who had proven much harder to turn than he had assumed, one whom he was waiting to meet today.

Giovanni looked through the scientist's profile. He was middle-aged and had a high position in the lab, second only to Fuji Jr. An eccentric but admittedly brilliant mind, the scientist had born on Cinnabar Island but had moved to Orre when he was 16 and drifted there, often engaging in petty theft and other crimes seemingly for the sake of it. It wasn't until his mid-twenties when he started to study Pokémon biology under the brilliant Dr. Kaminko, something Giovanni had made note of. At age 32, Blaine finally returned to his original home and began working at the lab, becoming good friends with Dr. Fuji in the process.

Giovanni's thoughts were interrupted when Matori entered the room. She bowed at Giovanni and guided the scientist in question, Dr. Blaine, into the room. Blaine was balding, had a thick mustache and constantly wore dark sunglasses, but Giovanni noted that he didn't exactly look like a stereotypical scientist and would probably give Giovanni a run for his money in a fight.

"Thank you, Matori," Giovanni said, and the secretary bowed again and left the room. "And thank you for coming, Dr. Blaine."

"Hrmm," Blaine grunted and didn't shake Giovanni's extended hand, just sat on the chair in front of Giovanni's desk and opened the folder he had brought with him.

"What have you found?" Giovanni asked the scientist and sat down as well.

Blaine put a thin, flat piece of glass roughly on the table. Giovanni leaned in closer to look at it. It was a microscope slide that seemed to contain a microscopically small piece of hair.

"An eyelash," Blaine explained. "We put together an expedition to the southern islands, had one researcher lose their leg and another was hospitalized due to a tropical disease and this is the biggest DNA sample we could get."

Giovanni's hands almost trembled as he carefully picked up the glass slide and inspected it from every angle. An actual piece of the mythical Pokémon...

"Have you tested it?" he asked Blaine as he looked at the slide from every angle with reverence.

"It's unlike anything we've seen before," Blaine said gruffly. "In fact, it is as if it matches with data from every known Pokémon, just like you said. Combined with Dr. Fuji's research notes... I would say it's the real thing."

"Excellent," Giovanni said quietly and put the slide back on the desk. "Then, you can begin right a-"

"As long as I'm still alive, we won't!" Blaine argued and slammed the desk. "For one thing, our chances of success with a sample that small are close to zero! But even if they weren't... it'll be a cold day inside the Cinnabar Volcano before I hand over something with that kind of power to _you_!"

"Everyone else involved in Project Mew2.0 are committed," Giovanni said threateningly. "You're the only obstacle there is, and one that is very easy to get rid of, I'll add."

Blaine let out a raspy laugh. "And if something happens to me, Magmar has been ordered to get rid of everything there is on Mew and the advanced cloning techniques. You're looking at, what, five years of work, gone in smoke? Plus that DNA sample is pretty fragile too, you know..."

Giovanni smiled. "Relax, doctor," he said. "You're too valuable to lose. With you, we'd lose the project, I know that. And just think about how this project could advance human and Pokémon development. Think about the possibility of having another Mew, except even _more_ powerful, with us today. The amount of things we could learn about our world is overwhelming!"

Blaine adjusted himself in his chair nervously. It was far easier to say 'no' to some madman with a suit. But when he put it that way...

"You a scientist as well, Giovanni?" Blaine scoffed. "You seemed to have given this a lot of thought."

"I learned a lot from your teacher, Kaminko, you know," Giovanni said. "But I'm not nearly as brilliant as him... or you. And you know it. And you know you don't want to miss a chance to create something like this, something that could change the world! You would be creating _life_!"

Blaine hesitated, allowing Giovanni to circle around his desk and stand next to him, offering him his hand again.

"Help me, Blaine," he said. "Help me change this world."

Blaine looked into Giovanni's eyes, unsure of what to think. Of course he knew what Giovanni would do with a Pokémon that powerful. But it didn't change the fact that Giovanni was also right. No one else could do it but Blaine. If he refused, the project wouldn't advance, and someone who was more in Giovanni's pocket would be promoted in his place, willing to take part in whatever sleazy projects Team Rocket had planned. This was the only way.

Blaine stood up quickly from his chair, but Giovanni didn't flinch, he just kept smiling as he offered his hand to Blaine. And, after almost a minute of wariness, Blaine grabbed the hand firmly and shook it.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Present day** _

_**Location: Cerulean Cave, Kanto** _

Silver, Weavile and Meganium followed the source of the energy, well past what was safe and where one could still see and into the darkest depths of the tunnel, forcing Silver to use his flashlight to navigate.

As he kept running, though, the darkness suddenly subsided as torches all around him were lit. A man stood on a ledge above Silver, one hand in his pocket, observing him with a curious smile on his face.

Silver dropped his flashlight at the sight of him. This was the man he had come so far to find. A large, intimidating man with short black hair, wearing a thick black coat over an expensive-looking suit, scratching behind the ears of a Persian with his other hand.

And Silver could tell the man knew why Silver was there from the look on his face alone. There was no question of it now.

"Welcome, Silver," Giovanni said. "I knew you'd find me eventually."

Silver responded by quickly grabbing a knife from a sheath on his ankle and throwing it at Giovanni as hard as he could. As the knife was an inch away from Giovanni's face, he blocked it with a single, smooth motion, flicking it away like a piece of lint.

"Worth a shot," Silver mumbled.

"Your throws have gotten more precise," Giovanni commented.

Silver frowned as he glared at Giovanni from under his brows. There was a suitcase right next to Giovanni's feet, unguarded. Silver had a good idea of what was in there and knew he could probably tell Weavile to snatch it... but that was probably something Giovanni had prepared for.

"It's good to see you again... son," Giovanni said.

That pushed Silver over the edge, making him forget about the case.

"You don't have the right to call me that," he growled at the man above him. "You ruined my life. You ruined mom's life. Hell, during your 'career', you've probably ruined more lives than anyone!"

"It's possible," Giovanni said calmly. "But compared to the amount of people I helped and saved, I'd say I'm still on the plus side."

"Let's count them, then," Silver said. "Let's see, you've helped yourself... and that's about it, I guess."

"Team Rocket created more jobs in Kanto and Johto than even Silph did," Giovanni lectured. "We also monopolized crime, made it less violent than ever, gave people a common enemy to fight. By the time we were gone, crime was almost eradicated, but even the pigs in charge know that the cost was high. Without Team Rocket, Kanto is just... boring."

Silver scoffed.

"I helped you as well, my son," Giovanni said infuriatingly. "Several times, in fact. And I'll help you again today."

"Yeah, you had that weirdo Missile tell me where you were," Silver said. "Kind of a bold move."

"I steered you in the right direction, sure, but the way you searched all over for me was nothing short of brilliant, Silver. You deserved to be given the final lead."

Silver clenched his teeth. "I can't believe how obvious the answer was, though," he said bitterly. "It's been in front of my face the whole time, and I had to travel all over Sinnoh to find it."

"That's how things tend to be in this world, sadly," Giovanni remarked. "Your mother used to say that all the time, you kn-"

"Shut up!" Silver snapped. "You're the last person I want to talk about her with. You didn't even love her, did you?"

Giovanni's answer was short and brutal: "No."

Silver wasn't sure if he would have hated it more if he had said yes. _Probably not_.

"But it's not her fault," Giovanni amended. "I had more important things to do."

Silver didn't want to listen to this tripe anymore. He had confirmed it. There was no reason to stick around. No other reason than what was next to Giovanni's leg.

"If it's the case you're interested in," Giovanni said, as if he had known what Silver was thinking, "then I can't blame you. After all, I have something that will interest you right here: the plates of origin."

And to prove his point, Giovanni opened his case, showing its full contents to Silver. Seven plates, nearly half of what was needed, lay in the bag, neatly organized. There were the Dread Plate, the Earth Plate, the Flame Plate, the Mind Plate, the Sky Plate, the Spooky Plate and the Toxic Plate, all slightly glowing in their respective colors. As soon as Giovanni had opened the case, Silver's Aura Reader went wild before eventually going into a tilt and literally falling apart with a bright spark, leaving a mark on Silver's face.

"I was able to conceal the energy emissions these plates give out," Giovanni said as he closed the case again. "I wanted to make sure it was you and you alone who noticed the energy output and came to find me."

"I'm guessing it won't be as easy as just asking you to give those to me?" Silver asked warily.

"Actually, it will be."

Silver stared at his father.

"...huh?"

"I wanted to give these to you," Giovanni said. "Do what you see fit with them. The Meadow Plate that you found was also in my possession, and as you probably guessed, I planted it there to get you to come here. I also took the Zap Plate to a secure location to lure those nosy LPS people away from me. Sadly, those were the only ones I had."

"Well, hand them over, then, and I might just let you walk out of here with all your limbs intact," Silver threatened, "old man."

"Didn't your mother teach you to use that little word 'please'?"

Silver exposed his teeth at Giovanni, who smirked.

"I only have one condition," he said. "Battle me. If you win, all the plates are yours. If you lose... well, let's not start out too pessimistic, right?"

Silver glanced at his Pokémon. Weavile nodded curtly while Meganium briefly got on its hind legs like a Rapidash, roaring excitedly.

"All right, but you two watch first," Silver said and grabbed a Poké Ball. "Hey, pops, is four Poké Balls acceptable for you?"

"Definitely," Giovanni remarked and opened a Poké Ball of his own.

A Machamp, almost a foot taller than any Silver had ever seen and almost nothing but muscle, came out. Silver scoffed at his father's lack of finesse as he let out his own Pokémon: a Magnezone.

"You found out how they evolve," Giovanni remarked as he saw the electric-type. "Your trip to Sinnoh paid off, then. I'm impressed!"

Silver ignored the remark, but was secretly pleased to hear that.

"Magnezone, Thunder Wave!" he yelled.

Magnezone released a thin stream of electricity from its magnets, using it to bind Machamp in place.

"Dynamic Punch," Giovanni said.

Even in its paralyzed state, Machamp managed to lunge at Magnezone and punch it square in the eye with all its might, the punch triggering an explosion which knocked Magnezone out with a single hit. Silver's enthusiasm waned as he recalled Magnezone.

"That was a good start," Giovanni praised, keeping Machamp in the field. "You saw your opponent's advantage in strength and type and decided to try and use a status effect on them – successfully! It's too bad for you that not only my Machamp is perhaps one of the strongest of its kind, its attacks _never_ miss. I look forward to your next move."

Silver bit his lip as he sent out his next Pokémon – Golbat. He had honestly assumed Magnezone could have done more damage to Giovanni's team than that.

"Even a flying-type won't help," Giovanni said. "My Machamp's attacks will reach it no matter what."

"That's why I have to take care of that, first," Silver said. "Golbat, Confuse Ray!"

Golbat blasted Machamp with a brightly glowing ball of light, but instead of doing damage, the ball circled around Machamp's head until it was too dizzy to counterattack, being both paralyzed and confused.

"Now, Air Cutter!" Silver yelled.

Golbat flapped its wings rapidly, releasing a stream of blue energy blades that hacked and slashed Machamp's body all over. But even then, the lumbering giant wouldn't admit defeat.

"Golbat, you need to get in close and use Wing Attack!" Silver said quickly. "But if it looks like he's going to hit you, retreat as fast as you can! Don't push yourself!"

Golbat nodded and flew towards Machamp, but not in a straight line, but constantly making curves and changing the sides from which it approached, making Machamp even dizzier.

"Hit it with Thunder Punch!" Giovanni ordered.

But Machamp was not in a state to attack, allowing Golbat to circle behind it and whack it in the back with Wing Attack, finally bringing the fighting-type down. While Giovanni withdrew his Pokémon, Golbat flew back to Silver, who held out his arm and allowed Golbat to land on it.

"Thanks," he told it as he scratched it. "Well done!"

As if in response to Silver's praise, Golbat began to glow and transform before Silver's eyes. Though Silver knew Golbat could evolve further, he had long since lost hope that he could achieve that. And now, Golbat was changing its form to a lither one, with a smaller body but larger wings, sprouting an extra pair of those, as well as changing its coloration from blue to purple.

"Crobat..." Silver muttered as he lowered his arm, allowing Crobat to fly in circles above him, chirping excitedly. "Thanks for that."

Giovanni looked pleased as he observed Silver from his ledge. "You've definitely come a long way since your battle with Elder Li in Violet City," he said, alarming Silver. "Looks like you finally understand, then..."

"Understand _what_?!" Silver asked defensively.

Giovanni closed his eyes and sighed, still smiling, which infuriated Silver. _That man is NOT allowed to look or happy and nostalgic_ , he thought.

"Oh, never mind," Giovanni said. "But this has been a good battle so far. It's true what they say – you're never too old to enjoy Pokémon."

And suddenly, Giovanni chucked a Poké Ball into the air, letting out his Rhyperior. Silver quietly told Crobat to take a break, resorting to Weavile instead. Even with the two now tied, Silver wasn't going to let himself get complacent. This enemy was one he couldn't take lightly.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Seven years ago** _

_**Location: Viridian Forest, Kanto** _

After the meeting with Blaine, Giovanni had Matori drive him to a certain location in the nearby forest he hadn't visited in years. Yet, as his limousine drove through the jagged path, going further and further off the main road, he felt an odd sense of happy nostalgia. He still remembered certain places, looking just as they had done when he was just a child.

Still, this place was not one for humans to live in. Humans could not develop and become truly happy until they let fully go of nature, embracing their own brilliance and ability to create. Giovanni was certain Blaine had understood as well – it was time humans and Pokémon stopped working for nature, and made nature work for _them_ instead.

Giovanni's limousine stopped close to a run-down wooden shack in the middle of the woods. Despite the age of the house, Giovanni knew people still lived there, as hard a it was for him to believe. Giovanni told Matori to wait and stepped out of the limo, calmly approaching the shack.

The door was opened before Giovanni even reached it, a pale, tired-looking woman around his age with waist-length blonde hair coming out. The fact that she was holding a knife in hand made Giovanni believe their conversation was going to be tedious.

"Get off our property!" the woman yelled at Giovanni, stopping his advance about ten meters from the door. "I don't want you anywhere near us!"

"I've come to ask you one last time," Giovanni said firmly, taking his hat off, thinking it made him look more respectful. "Move out of this filthy place. I can arrange you both a place to stay in Viridian City. I have enough money to-"

"I _know_ you have money!" the woman interrupted Giovanni harshly. "And I know _exactly_ where it came from! I won't accept anything that's been bought with the blood of innocent people!"

Giovanni wanted to roll his eyes at such a cliché statement, but contained himself for now on. She clearly wasn't done, though.

"And 'filthy'?! You'd call your own childhood home filthy? What happened to you?!"

"Of course leaving this place and moving to the outside world changed me," Giovanni said matter-of-factly. "It changed me for the better. I now see things in a much clearer, grander perspective, with no bias. I've been able to see and do things that make this forest seem as insignificant as the droppings of the Weedle who dwell within it!"

The woman laughed coldly. "How poetic," she snarked. "Now get out and stay away from us!"

Giovanni's attention was drawn to the approximately 10-year old child hiding behind the woman. Like her, the child had long blonde, almost yellow, hair, that was tied back in a ponytail. They both also wore simple, slightly dirty clothing.

"Is that...?" Giovanni asked, to which the woman nodded. "Well, I can understand choosing to live your own life in this misery, but what about your child? _Our_ child?"

"You've given away your right to be a father to this one!" the woman shouted. "Or were you going to tell us about your _other_ family at some point? Don't you have a son back in Cherrygrove City?!"

Even Giovanni allowed himself to look surprised at the woman's knowledge, especially considering how cut off from the outside world she was. Then again, that was part of the power that came with having born in Viridian Forest. There were lots of Pokémon who moved freely between Kanto and Johto living in the forest, and they no doubt loved to talk.

"You should know that it's only this family that I care about," Giovanni said quietly.

"That's... that's _not_ a compliment, you..." the woman sputtered. "Don't you even realize how horrible that sounds?!"

"Tell me something," Giovanni said, changing the subject. "You know the three of us standing here are the last who possess this incredible gift. Should our child waste it here, cut off from the entire world around us?"

"That's better than using it for what you're doing," the woman countered. " _Evil_!"

Sighing, Giovanni put his hat back on. When the conversation started to involve childish words like that, he knew it had been lost. He turned his back at the woman and the child and headed back for his car.

"You've made your choice," he told her. "In a matter of months, this part of the forest will be mine, and I will not hesitate to mow it down to make sure no one else will have this power. Farewell!"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Present day** _

_**Location: Cerulean Cave, Kanto** _

As powerful as Rhyperior's attacks were, they were no match for Weavile's speed. With a well-placed Ice Punch, Weavile was able to freeze Rhyperior, then bring it down with Icy Wind. Giovanni had followed suit with Dugtrio, but it too fell when Weavile hit it with its Ice Shard, then launched a Beat Up attack that brought the ground-type down.

When Giovanni withdrew Dugtrio, Silver was feeling the high of victory already. Giovanni only had one Pokémon left while Silver had three.

"Weavile, I think you've done enough," Silver said and pressed the recall button. "Come back!"

But Weavile actually blocked the Poké Ball's beam with its claw, glaring at Silver as he did so and posing to show he was still in fighting shape. After all, neither Rhyperior nor Dugtrio had even touched him.

"All right," Silver told it. "Just be careful."

As Silver had expected, Giovanni nodded at his Persian, who leaped off the ledge and into battle. Wanting to finish things quickly, Silver told Weavile to use Night Slash. But Persian dodged and managed to swipe Weavile with a Slash attack, weakening it considerably.

"Weavile, use Icy Wind again!" Silver ordered.

"Too slow!" Giovanni taunted. "Persian, Swift!"

As fast as Weavile was, it couldn't even register Silver's command before Persian knocked it out with a barrage of sharp, glowing stars. In less than a minute, Silver was down to two Pokémon. He quickly withdrew Weavile and nodded at Crobat, who returned to the field – he still wasn't sure if Meganium was good enough to beat Giovanni.

"Crobat, stay well above Persian and use Confuse Ray!" he ordered.

"Thunderbolt," Giovanni told Persian.

"Dodge!" Silver panicked.

Crobat had to abort its attack and use all its energy in avoiding the electric blast Persian shot at it from the jewel on its forehead. When it finally stopped, Silver ordered an Air Cutter, but Persian leaped out of the way so fast that all Silver saw was a white blur.

"Power Gem!" Giovanni ordered.

Even staying airborne didn't help Silver when Persian blasted it down with a barrage of diamond-shaped rays that turned into sharp stones mid-air. After that attack, Crobat was down as well.

Silver withdrew Crobat and nodded at Meganium, signifying that it was its turn. That was when Giovanni seemed to get serious, too. He stopped ordering his attacks, instead snapping his fingers once, causing Persian to launch itself towards Meganium.

"Protect!" Silver yelled.

Meganium put up a protective shield just in time, Persian being thrown back after hitting it, though it managed to land on its feet. Next, Silver ordered a Razor Leaf, but noticed an immediate difference when Meganium used it: the barrage of sharp leaves was not only faster, but seemed to do much more damage to Persian, who was thrown backwards from the sheer force.

"I see," Giovanni observed. "So you've discovered the power of the plates. Persian, Gunk Shot!"

"Use Vine Whip to dodge!" Silver yelled.

This was a move Silver had worked on for some time. Meganium didn't hit Persian with the vine, but instead propelled itself into the air and out of the way of the purple-hued stream of garbage that Persian launched towards it.

"Now, Energy Ball, then Body Slam!"

While Meganium was still mid-air, it blasted Persian with a green ball of energy that not only did damage, but also blinded it as Meganium landed on it with its entire weight, finally knocking the feline out.

When the battle was over, Meganium eagerly rushed to thanks its trainer, licking Silver's face and nearly crushing him as it got on its hind legs. Silver tried his best not to laugh and break his cool exterior, but much as he tried, a few embarrassingly high-pitched giggles got out.

Giovanni withdrew Persian as well before breaking into applause that didn't even sound sarcastic. Before Silver could respond to him, Meganium growled in shock as the plate suddenly came out of it, its glow fading away as it landed on Silver's hand. Chuckling in satisfaction, Giovanni grabbed the case containing the plates and tossed it at Silver's feet.

"As promised, here they are," Giovanni said. "I hope you'll make good use of them. And I thank you for that highly enjoyable battle."

"Yeah..." Silver said slowly, unsure if even he realized what had just happened. "Yeah, um, sure, you're welcome..."

"Though if I dare ask... what are you going to do now?"

Silver looked up, staring at Giovanni.

"What do you mean?"

"You found what you were looking for," Giovanni said, putting his hands in his pockets again. "You also have eight more plates to show for it. _And_ you defeated your old man in battle. What's your next move?"

Silver glanced at Meganium, who didn't seem to have the answers either. "I'm... not sure," he said quietly. "I... suppose I have to help out the LPS against this Giratina thing..."

"Are you sure?"

Silver glared at Giovanni.

"Do not get me wrong," Giovanni said. "Their goal is noble, but do you think you'll be able to do anything? As good as you may be, these people are Champions for a reason, with years of experience in these matters. You already found eight plates – what more could you do for them?"

"What do you suggest I do?!"

It was partly a rhetorical question asked out of anger... but partly something Silver yearned an answer for.

"With the Legendary Pokémon Society's methods, the world may be saved today, but what about tomorrow?" Giovanni asked. "No matter how many times Giratina is stopped, it will try again and again. They're not the only ones who know about what it's capable of. But, if you should help me, Silver... we could make sure to save this world the _permanent_ way!"

Silver snorted in disbelief. "That's what you've been doing since that Red kid beat you? Saving the world?"

"In a way," Giovanni said. "Though I would rather say I'm _changing_ the world, saving it from itself. But even I can't do it alone."

Silver looked at his father warily. He wouldn't trust him even if he was burning to death and Giovanni had the only source of water in a hundred mile radius. But the man had kept his promise, was helping with the plate hunt and hadn't even cheated once during his battle. Something with the way Giovanni spoke sparked old memories in Silver, made him actually consider his worth...

"Help me, Silver," Giovanni said softly. "Help me change this world."

Silver closed his eyes and cringed. Why hadn't he figured this out earlier? All the times he had talked to this man... and he never suspected anything!

**~o~O~o~**

_**Four years ago** _

_**Location: Route 22, Kanto** _

Since escaping the Masked Man's custody and returning to Cherrygrove City, Silver had become a criminal in order to survive. Even if he was only 13 years old, he would _not_ return to the orphanage. Occasionally, he would sneak around Cherrygrove's school, watching the other children, hating them for how good they had it and how they didn't even realize it. What he wanted the most back then was for someone like Leaf to come into his life again and show him how to live... but he soon pushed these ideas away, promising himself that he'd attain power all on his own.

Soon afterward, though, he met a man. Silver had been wary of adults even before what the Masked Man did, and the incident had only made it worse, but it didn't take long after the initial suspicion when the man offered him food for Silver to realize how different this man was. He didn't force Silver into anything and he always encouraged him to think for himself, yet he still volunteered to give Silver food and clothes as well as teach him more about Pokémon and battling. He would appear and disappear randomly, but Silver had no problem with that, as it made every time special, and Silver liked how the man let him do anything he wanted. He didn't even mind that the man never told his name, so Silver just called him 'Uncle'. Because that was what he felt like to Silver.

It wasn't until after they had known for a year that Silver learned that the man was Giovanni, leader of the most infamous criminal syndicate in Kanto and Johto. Silver had always known the man was a criminal, and in fact had even found it cool, but this was a shock even to him. An even bigger shock was that, despite Giovanni's frequent talks about power and how he knew how to use it, he was beaten by a kid, someone only a year older than Silver himself.

"Why?!" Silver yelled at Giovanni as he had announced his intention to leave, possibly forever. "You... you told me you were the number one in the world! Are you gonna quit? What are you going to do now?"

"...one must acknowledge one's defeat before he can move on..." Giovanni said. "I will go solo for now, so that one day I will form a stronger organization!"

"What aspect of you was number one? Gathering so many only to be defeated by a mere child!"

"Putting together the potential of many is how you produce a huge power. That's what an organization is. That's the strength of an organization! I failed... to make the best use of my subordinates' potential. But you shall witness one day the revival of me and my Team Rocket!"

Giovanni turned to Silver and lowered himself a little so the two were at eye level.

"For you, I can only say this: live for yourself, and no other. Strength of the many for the strength of the one."

Something about statement sparked a memory in Silver, something he had seen at his old home... but now, all it did was confuse Silver further.

"I don't understand you!" Silver yelled at Giovanni. "You don't make any sense!"

Giovanni sighed. "One day, you will understand."

Giovanni leaned to pat Silver on the head, but Silver smacked his hand away.

"No!" he yelled. "I don't _want_ to understand you! I will never become someone like you. A coward when you're alone and acting like a tyrant when you're in front of other cowards! I will become strong! I will become a stronger man all by myself! **All by myself!** "

After getting that out of his system, Silver stormed away. The two wouldn't meet again until four years later.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Pewter City Pokémon Center, Pewter City, Kanto** _

Jupiter and Mars were relaxing on the benches of the Pokémon Center after a hard day of work, people avoiding them due to their constant cursing, loud arguing and muddy overalls. Their shift at the dig site was finally over, with the plate still nowhere to be found. Kris and Iris came to see them and switch shifts with them, Jupiter giving them a sarcastically happy wave when they approached.

"I thought you were going to keep us there forever," she scoffed and lit a cigarette, blatantly ignoring the numerous signs telling people not to smoke. "Man, so this is your grand plan of saving the world? Dig a hole sixteen hours a day? What heroes! If I'd known, I'd have stayed on the bad guy side!"

"She doesn't mean it," Mars said quickly as Kris was about to say something snippy, holding her sides as she leaned in closer. "It's just... I didn't think helping you involved so much... _work_. Physical labor, no less! It's not my expertise! Isn't there some big, nasty paperwork to be filed?"

"You're doing valuable work helping us," Iris assured the two. "People will forgive your past in Team Galactic and you can do whatever you want after this is over!"

"Yeah, so in other words, shut up and suck it up," Kris snapped. "We have to work too, so stop complaining! Oh, and try not to leave this Center. I'm pretty sure the police is still looking for you, and while I don't care what happens to you, I don't want to deal with the drama."

"I guess that's the bright side of this," Jupiter laughed and leaned back with the cigarette in her mouth. "Team Galactic is finally done and Charon's wacko plans are over for good. I owe you guys."

"Whatever," Kris sighed. "What?!" she snapped at Iris when she tugged Kris' sleeve and pointed at something near the Center' counter.

"Isn't that... Silver?" she asked.

Iris was indeed right. Silver was just picking up his Pokémon from the nurse. Wanting to make sure he couldn't escape, Kris left Jupiter and Mars were they were and ran to Silver, startling him as she suddenly appeared behind him.

"Um... hi," he said awkwardly.

"I thought you were supposed to be in Celadon City," Kris said, no time for pleasantries.

"Hey, Silver!" Iris told him cheerfully as she caught up with Kris. "What do you have there?" she asked, pointing at the briefcase Silver was carrying.

Silver looked around him, then guided Kris and Iris to a more quiet part of the Center, near the PC.

"It's nice to see you two," Silver said quietly, and now Kris and Iris knew something was up. "I'm going to have to ask you to make good of your promise now, Kris."

"Of course!" Kris said eagerly. "Whatever you need!"

Kris regretted her choice of words when Silver suddenly put a handcuff around Kris' left wrist, the other half of the pair attached to the briefcase. Iris gasped when that happened, looking like she was ready to yell out for someone to come help.

"Um, Silver," Kris said, "I'm not really into this, so-"

Silver sighed. "I knew you'd make that joke."

"Are you disappointed?"

"A little."

"No, but seriously, what is this?" Kris asked and tried to open the case, but Silver stopped him.

"Not here," he said quickly. "Long story short: eight of the plates are there. I'm giving them to you for safekeeping."

Iris gasped even louder while Kris' eyes widened as she stared at the case.

"But... that's awesome!" Iris cheered, briefly forgetting to be quiet. "That's awesome," she whispered when Silver glared at her. "We found one plate in Viridian Forest, Lance, May and Brendan found two already and Wallace just informed us that he, Lucas and Barry found the Icicle Plate. Now there's only five left!"

"How did you do it?" Kris wondered.

Silver shook his head. "I don't think you'd believe me. But trust me, those are the real things. Use your Aura Reader to be sure, call Cynthia to check 'em out, anything, I don't care. Here's the key to the cuffs – I think they'll be safe with you even without them, though."

Kris stared at Silver, not accepting that for an explanation. Silver rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"...I found my dad," he said quietly.

"That's great!" Iris encouraged. "Was he-"

"And because of that", Silver interrupted, "I need to go on a journey. I'm sorry, but I won't be joining you on your mission anymore. I know you'll see it through to the end, though."

Kris frowned. "What do you mean? Um, I mean, I won't stop you, you found more plates than anyone, but-"

"This is important to me," Silver said. "There's just one thing I have to do, and then I'm going. But it's been... fun knowing you both. I'm glad you were able to forgive me."

"Are we really talking to Silver?" Iris wondered.

Silver laughed, which made Kris and Iris even more suspicious. "You'll make a great Dragon Master one day, Iris," he said. "And Kris... keep kicking ass."

"...when did I start?" Kris wondered in confusion.

Waving at Kris and Iris, Silver left the Pokémon Center, leaving the two girls bewildered. Silver wanted to explain more, but he didn't want to take any more of their time – and there was someone even more important to talk to first.

When Silver got to Leaf's place, he told her everything, including the identity of his father. Leaf had always known that Silver knew Giovanni, and told Silver she had suspected this ever since they talked to Mr. Backlot.

"You were always the smarter one," Silver smiled at her.

Leaf sighed, folded her arms and leaned against the wall, frowning at Silver. "You really have to go? I thought you were going to help me deal with that Suicune thing?"

Silver nodded. "I'm sorry," he said. "But this is incredibly important. And it will help you as well, in the long run. I'm going to change the world."

Leaf blinked. "Meaning?"

"...I don't know. It just sounded like a cool thing to say."

"You're not filling me with confidence, Silver," Leaf said. "But... if you say you need to go, then you need to go."

"Thanks for everything, Leaf," Silver said, and briefly seemed to debate on if he should hug Leaf or make some other gesture – instead, he did nothing. "Good luck on your quest."

"Goodbye, Silver."

Leaf spoke as blankly as she could, but couldn't hide the tears running down her face as she said it. Silver himself seemed on the verge of bursting into tears, so he nodded at Leaf and quickly left the house.

Still, as he walked towards the car where his father was waiting, Silver knew he was doing the right thing. Since what happened in Ilex Forest, he had been consumed with the desire to redeem himself. This was just another step towards this, and there was no better way to do it than to help _everyone_. But more than everyone, Silver cared about Leaf, the person who had taught him the most important thing of all.

She taught him how to be free.


	21. The North Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the group searches for their next plate, Eusine is more interested in its connection to Suicune while Kris encounters the mysterious Yellow for the first time.

_**Location: Pewter City, Kanto** _

Two days after Silver's visit in Pewter City, Kris, Iris, Jupiter and Mars were all participating in the digging outside the Pewter Museum. The local gym leader had arranged them supplies and manpower and the searching continued 16 hours a day. Still no sign of any plates, though. With a suitcase handcuffed to her wrist, Kris ducked out of working and instead 'supervised'.

Kris and Iris' Pokémon were also helping. Shrew was digging excitedly while Fraxure helped with its tusks. Croc couldn't care less and didn't even try to help, but Kris kept him out of his ball so he could keep an eye on Jupiter and Mars. Iris' Goodra and Excadrill did their best as well while Kris' Gardevoir, Chandelure and Froslass floated around, mainly just so they could get some fresh air.

"Man, all this supervising is making me thirsty," Kris said out loud as she watched the others work. "Sure is hot today, too... I don't even remember what month it is, though."

"Here you go!"

A young, cheerful voice, belonging to another volunteer spoke next to Kris. They were short, with old-fashioned clothing that looked hand-made, a straw hat covering their bright, blonde hair. They were holding a water bottle, which Kris accepted gratefully and took a long sip.

"Thanks, um..." Kris paused. _Well, this is awkward._

"Yellow," the volunteer said. "Um, that's my name. I know, it's weird."

"Not really, considering the people I know," Kris remarked. "But that was pretty quick thinking. Any special reason you're out here volunteering?"

"Well, I'm curious by nature," Yellow said happily. "Also, it sounds like you're searching for something really rare and valuable over here, and we don't see those kinds of things often here."

"You're from Pewter?"

"Uh, close by."

"Viridian City?"

Yellow scatched their nose awkwardly. "In between. I'm from Viridian Forest, so I often visit both towns. Yes, people do live there," Yellow added defensively.

"Hey, like I said, you're not nearly the weirdest person I know," Kris said with a laugh, feeling oddly relaxed with this young, eager volunteer.

"Anyway, I also came here because Ms. Leaf wants to see you," Yellow said. "Um, you were Kris, right?"

"Eeyup, that's me," Kris said and stretched her arms. "Well, I've worked pretty hard today already. Guess I've earned a short... a medium-length break. Keep up the good work, everyone, I'll be right back!" Kris yelled to no one in particular, not noticing Jupiter making faces at her.

As Kris left for the museum, she noticed the high-spirited Yellow following her. She didn't exactly mind, she didn't even care that Yellow wasn't working with the others, but it was still kind of odd.

"Um, do you know Leaf?" Kris asked Yellow to break the awkward silence.

But it got even more awkward as Yellow looked over their shoulder, then suddenly made a strange circular motion with their hand. Again, this was hardly the weirdest thing Kris had seen, so she shrugged and kept walking – then hit her nose on an invisible wall of some kind. She quickly realized that an invisible barrier had her and Yellow completely surrounded.

"Listen," Yellow said, their tone changing to a more serious one. "Even if you find the plates, you and your Pokémon are not ready for Giratina. You need to avoid fighting it as much as possible!"

Kris immediately reached for her Poké Balls hearing those suspicious words, only to remember that they were all empty. Fortunately, Iris walked just past her, wiping sweat off her forehead.

"Iris!" Kris yelled when Iris didn't seem to notice anything. "Help! Tell Fraxure to... Iris, are you listening?!"

"She can't hear us," Yellow said. "Do not panic, Kris."

"You can't tell me what to do!" Kris snapped. "Panic! Panic! PANIC!"

"There's no need for that. You're perfectly safe... Kris from New Bark Town."

Kris stopped panicking, and instead glanced at Yellow suspiciously while keeping as much distance as she could.

"Wes told me about you," she said as it dawned on her. "You're Red's friend!"

Yellow smiled. "Yes. I was the one who sent Wes after you in the first place. Sorry about that, by the way."

Kris felt a little more relaxed hearing that. "Yeah, well, you should be," she half-joked. "But he has helped me out _a little_ , so I guess I'll let that slide. Maybe."

"Now listen carefully," Yellow said. "You have to find Red. I know he'll show himself once Cyrus' promised day happens."

"What, that?" Kris said and snorted. "We stopped that already! Get with the program!"

"Wrong," Yellow said calmly. "You know Cyrus is about to return, and this time he will bring Giratina and all its servants from the Distortion World and the dimensions beyond with him. And it _will_ happen sooner than you think."

"...when?"

"It happens when it happens. But I know it _will_ happen."

"Well, no offense, but that's dumb," Kris said, tired by vague phrases like that. "I've heard enough garbage about stuff that's 'destined' to happen or whatever. I've kicked destiny in the butt at least three times by now."

"You misunderstand," Yellow said patiently. "It's not about what's destined to happen. Your actions, hunting the plates and using them with the Legendary Pokémon Society to stop Cyrus is what will spark Cyrus into returning earlier than expected."

Kris almost went cross-eyed. "What?" she said. "I don't even... but he'll do it even if we _don't_ stop him, right?"

"Yes."

"Oookay..."

"There is no way to know what consequences our actions will have," Yellow explained. "Even choosing not to act is an action. Nonetheless, we must deal with whatever may happen as it comes. Even actions that may seen insignificant can cause huge ripples, spreading thoughts to others in a way no one can predict."

That sparked something in Kris' mind, something she had tried not to think about as it caused her a headache... but she still remembered it clear as day if she wanted to. It was the conversation she had with Darkrai, moments before it gave up its life to protect her, Lyra and Wes from Latias...

"So..." Kris said slowly. "You could do that cool invisible wall thing, like a psychic-type Pokémon, right? Does that mean you can... see the future?"

Yellow shook their head. "No, but even someone like me has _some_ useful talents. Still, I have made countless predictions and calculations, and I can communicate with... well, you probably wouldn't believe me, so I'll just say this: in a few hours, you'll have an encounter with a legendary Pokémon you've met before."

Kris cringed. "Not Latias?"

"No, fortunately it's not her," Yellow said to Kris' relief. "You'll probably figure it out soon enough yourself. Now, I think Leaf is waiting for you."

With a wave of their hand, Yellow made the invisible walls disappear. Kris still didn't move anywhere but kept eying Yellow suspiciously.

"Was Leaf's matter urgent?" Kris asked.

"Fairly."

"...all right," Kris grunted. "But after I'm done, I'll be back to talk to you."

"I'll be here until tomorrow," Yellow assured. "I hope I can help you find the plate."

Kris nodded and headed for the museum.

She was soon convinced of the urgency of the matter when she saw Leaf talking with none other than Cynthia, who looked strange wearing more casual clothes instead of her usual black outfit. She even waved at Kris in a very uncharacteristic way, showing something that looked just like the Insect Plate Kris and Iris had found, except it was brown.

"You've found another one?!" Kris asked, then became embarrassed at how obvious the question was.

Cynthia didn't seem to mind, though. "Yes, it's the Fist Plate," she said. "Kiyo, the head of Saffron City's Fighting Dojo, was using it to boost his training at Mt. Mortar. I convinced him to part with it for now."

Cynthia glanced at the suitcase still handcuffed to Kris' wrist. Kris was getting used to it by now and just lifted it nonchalantly while shrugging.

"Yeah, Leaf probably told you already... Silver really helped us out with this," she said. "I have the key, but I think it's better safe than sorry."

"I agree," Cynthia said and took a step closer. "Can I see them?"

"Uh... sure."

Kris gave Cynthia the key to the case. She opened it and narrowed her eyes as she looked at the set of plates inside – there were nine altogether, with the Insect Plate also there for safekeeping. Kris figured that now that Lance had two, Wallace had one and Cynthia had one, it was okay to keep the rest in one place.

"So, only four left to go, huh?" Kris asked nervously as Cynthia kept staring at the plates. "We're really making good progress!"

"Yes..." Cynthia muttered and looked at the other key in the chain. "This is for the cuffs, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so... haven't actually opened them once. Showering was a bit difficult - um, what are you doing?!"

Cynthia put the Fist Plate she had found in the case with the others, then locked the case and put the key in her pocket, leaving Kris aghast.

"Sorry, but this is safer," Cynthia said casually. "I mean no offense when I say this, but people are less likely to assume that you have something worth robbing. That man who interrupted your match at the Sinnoh League? He ambushed me when I was on the way over here."

Kris cursed to herself. Yet another problem to deal with...

"Considering the shape he and his Pokémon were in after our fight, I'd say he'll give up," Cynthia said. " _But_ , he did manage to flee, and he seems like a very persistent guy."

"He is," Kris grumbled.

She still remembered how Missile had attacked her and Lyra back in Sinnoh, still carrying a grudge months after what happened in Johto. Kris looked at Leaf for help on the matter, but Leaf looked distracted by something, like she wasn't even paying attention to the conversation.

"You needed to see me?" Kris asked.

"Cynthia had something to tell you," Leaf said absently as she gazed out of the window.

"Yes, Morty just called," Cynthia said. "He's at Route 25, a place called the Cerulean Cape, by the sea. He wouldn't even tell me what it was about, he just asked for you, specifically, to come there."

Kris frowned in confusion for a second, but then it all fell into place: Morty was with Eusine, and considering Yellow's warning...

"I'll go there right away!" Kris said firmly and turned to Leaf. "Iris is in charge of the dig crew, I'll leave Shrew and Croc to help as well. In fact, I think I'll only need two Pokémon for this trip. I'll be back as soon as I'm done!"

"I actually have to go as well," Cynthia said and nodded at Leaf. "Thanks for the chat, and good luck finding the plate."

Leaf just nodded as Kris and Cynthia stormed out. As soon as she was sure she was alone, though, Leaf rushed for a locked cabinet that only she had the keys for and pulled out a crossbow and packet of bolts from it.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Route 4, Kanto** _

_**An hour later...** _

Kris had left Iris in charge and grabbed Gardevoir and Chandelure with her before leaving alone for the Cerulean Cape. Croc hadn't looked happy about not being picked, but Kris had left it a bag full of Pokémon chow and a simple order: keep your eyes on Jupiter and Mars. This placated Croc a little. Kris knew she shouldn't let Croc go his own way like that, but that independence was why Kris liked him so much – and why he was so strong.

After catching a bus that went past Mt. Moon, Kris had to walk the rest of the way. It was quiet on the path leading to Cerulean City, hardly any people around. Kris doubted the suitcase looked too suspicious, even with the handcuff that Kris tried to hide as much as possible.

But she soon was pushed on edge as she heard a rough voice calling to her from out of sight:

" _At last, I shall complete my mission_!"

Kris prepared herself, thinking she would be fighting Missile... but the voice was actually different. And the fact that he had announced his presence made Kris even less worried.

But what fully got rid of her stress, though, was the sight of a man with turquoise hair wearing a black uniform with white elbow-length gloves and knee-high boots stepping out of the bushes and into Kris' path.

"Oh, it's just you," Kris told Proton. "Hey, you're back to your old get-up, that's neat."

Proton's eye twitched, but he didn't let Kris' flippant attitude get to him.

"You must have thought Team Galactic was finished," he taunted, "but I have a new master: Charon. He lets me wear what I please _and_ he has given me the greatest honor. He has tasked me with waiting here until I found the valuable items he seeks. And now, at last, it shall be done!"

"Um, no offense, but Charon's kinda... dead, I heard," Kris said carefully. "And the other grunts were arrested. No idea what happened to Jupiter and Mars, though, guess they just split."

_Those two better thank me for covering their worthless a-_

"Lies!" Proton yelled and pointed at Kris. "Lies and fallacies! I will not take that! I was once considered the coolest, most brutal member of Neo Team Rocket, hand-picked by the Black Tulip to become an Executive, charged with training new grunts and whipping them into shape! There is no way I'd fall for your tricks, you... you... hold on, I'm trying to think of a cool insult here... it can't be too bad or I won't be seen as cool... but it has to sting at least a _little_..."

Kris rolled her eyes. "Yeah, anyway," she said, reaching for a Poké Ball, "do me a favor and-"

"Weezing, Tackle!"

Kris hadn't even noticed that Proton's Weezing had quietly floated behind her during Proton's little tirade. It charged at her, knocking her off her feet. Kris had to admit the trick was clever, but her Gardevoir would easily take care of it.

But before Kris could do anything, Proton dashed in and stepped on both of Kris' arms painfully, holding a hacksaw in hand as he giggled maniacally.

"I will get that case," Proton said quietly, a mad glint in his eye as he stood above Kris. "And for what you did to me, I will make sure to get your hand as well!"

Kris lifted her feet, attempting to kick Proton in the chest, but Weezing reacted to this, grabbing one of Kris' feet in its mouth, effectively keeping Kris in place.

"Oh, come on!" Kris wailed, struggling against their hold. "This is _not_ happening! You're _Proton_! You're not important enough to be able to beat me!"

"That's what they always said!" Proton screeched, causing spit to fly everywhere. "They always doubted me! They said 'no one cares about that one guy who hacked off Slowpoke tails'-"

"And heads," Kris pointed out.

"-but look where I'm now! About to finally get rid of the pest who ruined – _ruined_ , I say – Neo Team Rocket's greatest scheme! Begone!"

Proton raised the hacksaw, but just then, a spark of electricity hit Weezing, making it bellow in pain, letting go of Kris' foot. Confused, Proton looked around him for the source of the attack, allowing Kris to finally kick him in the chest, getting him off her arms. Kris sprang up quickly and prepared to take out a Poké Ball.

That wasn't necessary, though, as a Luxray appeared from the bushes to fight Weezing, first biting it as it was still confused, then avoiding its Sludge attack and retaliating with a Thunderbolt. As Proton prepared to use his hacksaw on the attacker, he was suddenly ambushed by a black-haired man wearing a red and black outfit. The attacker easily blocked Proton's swing with the hacksaw, retaliating with a knee in the stomach and finally by throwing Proton on the ground, Luxray doing the same with Weezing.

The attacker wiped the sweat off his face and turned to Kris, smiling gently.

"Sorry about that, Kris," Lunick said. "I know you had it under control, but I just couldn't bear to watch any longer."

Kris smiled. "I _did_ have it under control," she said. "And thanks."

Proton withdrew Weezing and scurried on his feet, but was now outmatched. He didn't have it in him to yell out one last cliché 'this isn't over'-phrase, he just glared at Kris and Lunick and ran away like a coward.

"Well, that happened," Kris said casually. "What's with that outfit, by the way? Looks like some kind of uniform."

Lunick gazed at his black shorts and red jacket self-consciously, then fiddled with his red headband. "Well, um... this is a standard Pokémon Ranger's uniform. It, uh, has been designed to be waterproof, with thin but sturdy layers that provide protection against cold winds but also help cope with heat-"

"I was joking – you look good," Kris interrupted Lunick's cute rambling. "The real question is – what's up?!"

"The Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia, asked me to come here," Lunick said proudly, hands on his hips. "I couldn't pass a chance to meet you."

"...really?"

"Yes, I wanted to tell you this: I'm sorry."

"...for?"

"For leaving – again," Lunick said quietly. "Back in Sinnoh, I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving without saying anything. Once Team Galactic was done, I knew I had to return to the Ranger Union. I just don't see myself fitting in this time. But then Cynthia told me something that changed everything."

Kris tilted her head curiously.

"She has studied the subject, and it is possible I was pulled into this time for a reason," Lunick pondered. "The same forces who attacked my home are trying to do the same thing again, which means they'll attempt to open an interdimensional portal of some kind – am I right so far?"

Kris nodded.

"So, it is possible I can use the dimensional distortions that are occurring all over to return to the time I got yanked away into the future. But to do so, I must complete whatever purpose I had to fulfill here. Or, that's her theory, and it's an extremely slim chance. But I'll take it, especially if it involves fighting by your side again. If... if you'll let me join you, that is," Lunick added bashfully.

Kris smiled. "You're in," she said. "Now let me explain you a few things..."

**~o~O~o~**

**_Meanwhile, back in Pewter City..._ **

"I found something!"

"Yeah, I've found about eight thousand rocks and a hernia but you don't hear me bragging about it..."

"Shut up, Jupiter! Hey, you! Uh, dragon girl with weird hair! Come check this out!"

Iris marched over to where Jupiter and Mars were digging, Croc having finished its massive bag of Pokémon food and wandering around hungrily nearby.

"I have a name, you know," Iris told the two. "I memorized yours, Neptune and Uranus!"

Jupiter blushed and suddenly stopped mid-insult, Mars looking at her in concern. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing, I just... I get that reference..."

"What did you find?" Iris asked with a deep sigh.

"Look at this thingymagoo!" Mars said proudly, demonstrating some kind of ancient artifact she found. It was made of some kind of soft substance, like leather, except obviously it had to be something else as it hadn't deteriorated during the years it had been buried.

Iris' interest was caught immediately as she grabbed the thing from Mars and started observing it from every angle. "Wow, this _is_ pretty cool," she muttered. "The scientific value of this discovery is phenomenal. I could give it to the museum, but then again, Lenora back in Unova could also use something like this in her museum... but then..."

As Iris pondered the issue, Jupiter pulled Mars' sleeve.

"Hey, I think I could find a buyer for that," she whispered discreetly. "You distract her, I'll grab it, we sell it, split the profit 50-50!"

"No way!" Mars snapped. "I could never do something like that! I found it, so it needs to be 60-40 to me."

"Fine, deal," Jupiter muttered, Mars smiling triumphantly.

 _Sucker_ , she thought. _When we're dividing up the profits, I'll 'accidentally' miscalculate and take 65 instead!_

 _Sucker_ , Jupiter thought _. When we're dividing up the profits, I'll just pinch her nose until she cries and gives me all of it! Solid plan!_

"By the way," said Iris, suddenly appearing behind Jupiter and Mars with Croc. "I hope you two aren't planning anything like stealing and selling this!"

Mars gasped theatrically. "We would never-"

"Yeah, we did," Jupiter admitted, much to Mars' disapproval. "Hey, I'm not questioning _that_ thing," she told her, gesturing at the hungry Feraligatr. "Well, how about it, kid? Get in on the deal with us, we'll sell it and divide the money three ways! Your friend from Johto doesn't have to know!"

"No way!" Iris protested. "This belongs in a museum!"

" _You_ belong in a museum!" Mars countered lamely, then actually smiled proudly as if she had said something witty. "Yeah, take that, nerd!"

Iris rolled her eyes. "What about you, Croc?" she asked the water-type looming behind her, taunting Jupiter and Mars. "What would you do?"

"Are you seriously talking to that thing?" Jupiter asked in contempt.

"Hey, it's like a human sometimes!" Iris protested. "Just like Fraxure and my other Pokémon! So, Croc, what would be the best thing to do? Museum or sale?"

Croc stared at Iris for a while, then stared at the artifact in her hands, then glanced at Jupiter and Mars, then started rubbing its chin in deep thought, looking unusually focused and quiet. This went on for a few seconds, until finally... Croc swiped the artifact from Iris' hand and ate it, gulping it down with one bite. Croc finished its meal with a satisfied grunting sound and then went to sleep.

"...well," Jupiter sighed, her dreams of buying a planet ticket to 'anywhere that's not here' fading away.

**~o~O~o~**

The trip through Cerulean City to Route 25 went by extremely fast. Kris and Lunick chatted the whole way, Kris finding herself feeling relaxed with him. She didn't have to act tough or cool, because for whatever reason, that's how Lunick perceived her already. Kris also explained what she was doing to Lunick, detailing everything from the plate hunt to the Suicune murder mystery in Sinnoh.

"You seem to really like this Pokémon," Lunick theorized after Kris finished a long, rambling story about Suicune.

Kris shrugged. "Well, don't tell this to anyone, but I think I... saw it as a kid. Only for a short while, and I didn't see it properly, but I've been kinda fixated with Suicune ever since. Of course, then I actually met it several times and I've had other stuff on my mind. Still, I want to find out what _really_ happened in Sinnoh."

"We've heard legends of the North Wind Pokémon as well," Lunick said. "From what I understand, it's a warrior Pokémon who protects nature. It doesn't particularly care about humans, but it's certainly not violent by nature, either. I strongly doubt it could do something like that."

"Exactly my point – sort of!" Kris said excitedly. "There was definitely foul play involved. Either someone wants to trigger sentiment against legendary Pokémon – or all Pokémon – or... I dunno, but there is a conspiracy there somewhere."

Kris and Lunick eventually arrived to the meeting point: a fancy house by the sea at the end of Route 25. The house belonged to Bill, developer of the Pokémon Storage System, and apparently a member of the Legendary Pokémon Society. The man himself was waiting on his yard. He was with Morty, who looked cool as always with his shaggy blonde hair, purple headband and scarf, waving at Kris casually. There was also Eusine, who seemed giddy with excitement over Kris' arrival, barely containing himself. And finally, oddly enough, Wes was also there, leaning against the wall of Bill's house, standing slightly away from the others.

"Kris!" Eusine cheered and ran over to her. "I'm so glad you're here! We need your help with-"

"Later," Kris said and shoved Eusine away, glaring at Wes. "Why are you here?!"

"I was with Lance, May and Brendan, but they apparently had no need for my helpful commentary," Wes said calmly, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. "Now that most of the plates have apparently been found, I thought I'd come here to give you a hand."

"A likely story," Kris scoffed, "but I'll accept it for now. Okay, Eusine, _now_ you can talk."

"This is amazing!" Eusine said and almost started jumping up and down. "We can catch two Pidgey with one Poké Ball here!"

"Is that possible with modern technology?" Lunick wondered out loud.

Eusine ignored him. "Ever since the Sinnoh League, when I was at Route 224, I have been pushing my skills to the limit. I have tracked the most beautiful Pokémon of all time here, to the Cerulean Cape, and it has not fled yet! But it won't come out, either, and that's why we need _you_!"

Kris looked at Morty for some explanations.

"He thinks both Suicune and a plate are here," he said with a shrug. "And the weird thing is that he might be right. The Aura Reader is giving out two strong energy readings here."

"And the other is a definitely a Pokémon," explained Bill. "We double-checked it with our sensors. Eusine keeps telling us that we shouldn't go over and actually look, though."

"You'll scare it off!" Eusine hissed at Bill. "The North Wind is like me – powerful, elegant, but also sensitive. It has a pure heart, one that cannot be tainted by human sins!"

"Has this man been possessed by some sort of otherworldly entity?" Lunick asked Kris.

"For all I know, he _is_ one," Kris sighed. "But it seems like he has it right this time."

"Onwards, my friends!" Eusine yelled. "A great adventure awaits!"

"I'll be monitoring things from here!" Bill said as the others prepared to leave. "Good luck!"

Kris, Lunick, Wes, Eusine and Morty headed to the very end of the cape, on a small cliff by the sea. It was peaceful out there, with Wingull and Pidgey flying about and a swarm of Venomoth making their way to places unknown. The rest followed Morty, who was doing calculations with his Aura Reader, following the track, which ended just at the edge of the cliff. Morty peeked at the sea below.

"It's impossible to get a reading from the other energy source," Morty said, "but the plate is definitely down there. Anyone have any water-type Pokémon?"

Everyone shook their heads, Kris cursing that she left Croc back in Pewter City. She had just wanted to make sure the dig would proceed as smoothly as possible.

But as Morty took another look, he suddenly flinched and retreated as something suddenly emerged from the water with a huge splash. That something was a large but slim blue, quadrupedal Pokémon with a thick, flowing purple mane, a crystalline crest on its forehead and two white, streamer-like tails. A sudden gust of wind seemed to suddenly blow as the Pokémon landed on the cliff, only a few meters away from the group, who were frozen in place.

It had been nine months since Kris had seen Suicune, and it looked as beautiful as ever, the effect enhanced when its wet mane and crest glistened in the sunlight. It was holding a navy blue plate in its mouth – the Splash Plate, appropriately enough. Although Suicune stared at the group, as if intending to give the plate to them, something told Kris that it wouldn't _just_ hand it over without getting something in return.

Eusine, of course, had no such thoughts. He didn't even notice (or care about) the plate Suicune was holding, but he was fixated on the legendary Pokémon, slowly approaching it with a Poké Ball in hand.

"The great North Wind," Eusine muttered. "The Crystal Beast. The legendary do... ca... gerbil. Suicune. I... I don't know if you remember me... my name is Eusine, we met back in Johto. I wonder if you would do me the honor of battling you fairly, and then letting me attempt to tame you-"

"Oh, come on!" Kris yelled at him.

Eusine looked at Kris in confusion. Though Kris was relieved that Eusine didn't just blindly try to fight it like at the Bell Tower, this still wasn't the right time.

"Kris, I'm grateful to you that you led this Pokémon here," Eusine said tensely, "but I've waited this moment far too long to let anyone interfere, even you, who deserves this much more. I'm sorry."

"Listen to yourself, man!" Wes chimed in. "You're not going to be able to defeat it alone, anyway! It's a legendary Pokémon!"

"And if you do somehow manage to capture it," Kris said, "then what are you going to do?"

Eusine stared at Kris. "What?"

"You've been pursuing it for Arceus knows how many years – for what?" Kris reasoned. "So you could put it on a shelf? So you could put a collar on it and keep it on your backyard? Are you going to stuff it, encase it in gold and make a statue out of it or something?!"

"Of course not!" Eusine protested. "How dare you even suggest that?!"

"Then why?"

Eusine didn't seem to have an answer to that question, so Morty decided to intervene.

"Philosophy aside, I won't let you do anything to it, Eusine," he said harshly. "The code of our organization forbids us from battling legendary Pokémon unless they are a threat, and so far, Suicune has done nothing. And we're _certainly_ not allowed to capture it. I've let you go forward with your crazy stuff for this long, but _only_ because the Route 224 mystery is still open! _And_ it has a plate, so stand down!"

Eusine trembled, squeezing the Poké Ball in his hand and clenching his teeth as he stared at Suicune, who was completely still, though its stance indicated it was ready to leap into action at any time. Sighing, he finally lowered his hand and took a few steps away from Suicune, allowing Kris to carefully approach it instead.

"Stay calm," she told it, her voice cracking a bit. "I'm not going to try to battle you or capture you. I just want to... well, right now, I want to know. I know you can understand me: was it you who killed those three people in Sinnoh?"

Suicune's fierce, red eyes stared into Kris' brown eyes for the longest time, as if to determine what Kris really meant with her words. Finally, in a way that was almost creepily human, Suicune shook its head.

Kris sighed in relief. "I knew it," she said quietly, now realizing how quickly her heart was beating. "Are you or some other legendary Pokémon planning to threaten humanity?"

"Kind of a redundant question, Kris," Wes pointed out.

Kris was annoyed, but Wes had a point, so she amended the question. "I mean, are legendary Pokémon who are _not_ Latias – or Giratina and its minions – planning to threaten humanity?"

Suicune stared at Kris again, then shook its head slowly, as if it wasn't so sure itself, so Kris tried one more phrasing, trying her best not to sound nervous or accusing.

"Are you, Suicune, a threat to us or any other humans?" she asked.

Suicune immediately shook its head without hesitation, and Kris relaxed, breathing deep. The others felt significantly less tense as well.

"Thank you," Kris told the Pokémon, wanting to pet the Suicune so much but knowing it was probably not a good idea at this point. "I can tell these people to stop hunting you, then. Considering the circumstances, I'm sure all you have to do is give us that plate, and then you can be left alone. So... can we have it?"

Morty sighed. "That's not exactly the best evidence, but it's fine with me," he said. "We need that plate way more right now."

Eusine nodded sadly. "Yes, I agree. I... I'm sorry if I troubled you in any way, Suicune," he muttered.

Suicune glanced at Morty and Eusine, then turned its attention back to Kris. Slowly, it lifted its paw and took a careful step forward, Kris holding her palms open to accept the plate.

But Suicune froze just as it was about to hand the plate over, looking at something in the sky. Kris also saw it from the corner of her eye: a Venomoth had broken from the swarm above them and was coming their way. As soon as the Venomoth noticed Kris and Suicune's stare, it blasted at the whole group with a deafening, high-pitched sound wave, forcing everyone to cover their ears. Then, it blasted the group with a bright flash of light, blinding them.

Unable to see or hear, Kris instinctively stepped in front of Suicune and shielded it with her body, even if she knew Suicune could withstand a lot more than she did. A human hiding in the shadows who had rushed towards Suicune when everyone else was blinded had to stop on their tracks when Kris was in the way.

When Kris could see and hear again, she immediately recognized the black jumpsuit and red cape of the purple-haired attacker, her face mostly obscured by her scarf. She hadn't met her in a while, either, not since the Silver Conference in Johto - Janine. She had just attempted to stab Suicune with her kunai, but seemed to hesitate when Kris was in the way.

Seeing everyone regaining their senses, Janine backed away a bit, her scarf falling off and revealing her face to everyone.

"You're the former gym leader of Fuchsia City!" Morty exclaimed. "You've been wanted ever since the Silver Conference!"

"Of course they couldn't catch her," Kris grumbled. "Are you after the plates, too?"

Janine scoffed. "The what?"

Kris stared at Janine for a bit, but quickly recovered. "Okay, never mind, then," she said quickly, "but what are you doing here? I thought those whoevers you worked for had ordered you not to harm me!"

"This has nothing to do with _you_ , nobody," Janine said. "You can take comfort in the fact that my earlier orders still stand – unfortunately. I didn't even know you'd be here. I'm here for _that_ thing."

Janine pointed at Suicune. Kris didn't appreciate the disparaging tone Janine used.

"You mean you're going to kill a legendary Pokémon?" Kris asked mockingly. "Easier said than done, I'd think."

"I have the means," Janine said with a smirk and covered her face with her scarf again. "But first I have to make sure it and all of you stay still. Venomoth, Stun Spo-"

Kris tossed her two Poké Balls right at Janine's face before she could finish her sentence, not caring about fighting fair at this point. Gardevoir and Chandelure came out, forcing Janine to retreat.

She was ready, though, whistling to summon her Muk to come aid Venomoth, the sludge Pokémon climbing up the cliff from the sea below.

"Nobody interfere!" Kris yelled as Morty was about to send out a Pokémon. "I'm going to protect Suicune! We'll show it that it can trust us! Gardevoir, use Reflect!"

Gardevoir brought up a protective barrier around her and Chandelure, stopping Muk's attempt to hit the two with Poison Jab. Chandelure then used Flame Burst, setting almost the entire cliff on fire, forcing the spectators to retreat. Janine also had to dodge the fires, putting some distance between her and Kris.

"I like your tactics," Janine told Kris. "Ever thought of becoming a ninja?"

Kris didn't respond. "Gardevoir, Psychic on Muk!"

Gardevoir didn't immediately do anything, which concerned Kris and confused even Janine, but after a few seconds delay, finally attacked Muk, lifting it into the air with her psychic powers, then letting it drop and get knocked out. Janine withdrew Muk and sent out her Ariados instead. Kris fully remembered Ariados' fighting style from the Silver Conference, trapping opponents in place with Spider Web – she wasn't going to let that happen.

And, predictably, it happened: "Ariados, use Spider Web!" Janine called.

"Chandelure, Protect!" Kris ordered. "Gardevoir, use Teleport to dodge it!"

Chandelure did as told, but Gardevoir didn't, instead readying her hands for a counterattack, looking like she wanted to use Moonblast – which wouldn't do much good against Janine's Pokémon.

"No, Gardevoir, Teleport!" Kris yelled again.

"Poison Fang!" Janine ordered.

While Gardevoir was focused on trying to attack Ariados, Venomoth circled around her and bit its purple-glowing teeth into her, knocking her out with one hit. Chandelure tried to blast Venomoth with Flamethrower, but Venomoth was too fast and dodged the hit, returning to Ariados' side while Kris withdrew Gardevoir.

"Shameful display, Kris," Janine taunted. "What have you been even doing these past nine months?"

The taunt stung, no matter how Kris tried to act like it didn't. Croc wouldn't always do what she told it, which was a handful enough – but now Gardevoir was going to outright ignore her commands in battle? That didn't bode well, especially considering what waited for Kris and the others.

"Well, we shall soon see," Janine said when Kris was quiet. "Venomoth, go around and use Zen Headbutt! Ariados, use Sucker Punch!"

Venomoth flew behind Chandelure while Ariados leaped at it with great speed from the front, leading to desperate measures.

"Overheat!" Kris ordered Chandelure.

Chandelure turned red, and before it could be hit, it blasted a stream of fire into every direction, knocking Venomoth and Ariados away and out with one, quick blast, but also exhausting itself to the limit, barely managing to stay afloat.

Janine had no choice but to withdraw her Pokémon and attempt to flee, but she was cornered on all sides: Eusine and his Alakazam, Morty and his Gengar and Wes and his Umbreon were ready for her, and as she tried to pull a flashbang to make her escape, Lunick managed to grab her and put her on the ground.

"Thank you, Chandelure," Kris told the exhausted Pokémon as she withdrew it. "And sorry for pushing you so hard. Now then," she said as she walked over to Janine, who Lunick was keeping in place. "Want to explain why you wanted to kill Suicune?"

"Yes, you fiend!" Eusine ranted. "The most graceful, the most breathtaking of all – I'll stop now, sorry..."

"Guess I can tell you," Janine lamented melodramatically, though she was still smiling. "You were right all along. Suicune is innocent. The three people who died at Route 224 were all members of Red's inner circle. They were investigating the activities of the Pokémon League and came across some distressing information."

"Did the Pokémon League sanction this?" Morty asked in disgust. "Arrange the murders and framed Suicune for it?"

Janine rolled her eyes. "As if," she said. "The order came from high – way higher than you'd think. But I'm not dumb enough to say from whom. You only wanted to hear why."

"Then tell us," Kris said threateningly.

Janine was having none of it and seemed outright relaxed despite her position. "A prototype for a human-Pokémon translator was created at Navel Rock before its destruction," she said, prompting Wes to listen intently as well. "Said prototype was recovered, but the one in charge wasn't thorough enough, and Red got his hands on it, but it ended up with members of his group as Red himself disappeared. Thanks to Red's friend with the eerie powers, a meeting was arranged between three of Red's friends and a warrior-type Pokémon with a deep connection to the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh."

"Suicune," Kris said quietly. "So Suicune knew something, then?"

"They couldn't take the chance that it did," Janine simply said. "That's all that happened back there – the ones who gave my orders got scared and outsourced a cover-up job to a certain executive working for Galaxy Inc, one of the many companies entangled in their web of puppets."

"So Cyrus was the one who did it?" Kris asked, tired of Janine beating around the bush.

"He's not the type to march over there with a gun, is he?" Janine mocked. "Cyrus was given free hands to deal with the situation, so he hired an infamous criminal who had recently revived Neo Team Rocket to do the job for him – you know him as the Masked Man."

Kris felt anger surging inside her as she listened to Janine casually telling this. The same person who ruined Leaf and Silver's lives was also responsible for the death of one of Leaf's friends, and nearly started a war because of it. That made Kris all the more happy to know that the Masked Man had been dealt with... but Cyrus was still out there.

"Last two questions," Kris told Janine. "What did Red learn? And where is he now?"

"He found evidence of a conspiracy closely related to what went down on Navel Rock," Janine said. "He and his group found out about their experiments with the Griseous Orb and attempting to contact Giratina for unknown purposes. He also knew that someone very high up had a motive to subjugate Pokémon, eliminate certain troublesome legendaries who refused to bow down to humans, and perhaps even start another war between humanity and Pokémon-kind."

Everyone stared at Janine, who laughed at their shocked expressions. "As for where he is now, I wouldn't just sit on that kind of information," she said mockingly. "I have no idea, but you know yourself that he went to train on Mt. Silver and was ambushed by the Masked Man. He escaped his clutches, that's for sure, but what has he been doing since? Nobody knows..."

"He met Steven, and Darkrai," Kris said quietly. "He's after the same thing we are, I'm sure. All right, that's enough questioning."

"Yes, you've fulfilled your purpose, you criminal scum," Eusine said pompously, as if _he_ had done the interrogating. "At least we can be sure that nothing will threaten Suicune again."

Just as Eusine said that, a crossbow bolt suddenly whizzed past him, almost hitting Suicune, but instead bouncing off the cliff. Suicune lowered itself in a fighting stance, making Kris nervous – if something upsets its now, everything will be ruined!

The one who shot the bolt soon came into view, riding up the cliff on a Rapidash – Leaf, a crossbow in hand a fierce look of determination in her eyes, which were focused entirely on Suicune.

"What are you doing?!" Kris yelled at her, but then her mind caught up with everything. "No, wait, Leaf, you have it all wrong!"

Kris stepped in front of Suicune just as Leaf was about to fire another round, making her hesitate.

"Hello, Kris," Leaf said grimly, still staring at Suicune. "Please move aside, as these will hurt. These bolts expand upon impact, so they'd ought to be enough to hurt even that thing."

"Leaf, you can't do this!" Kris protested. "This isn't justice! You're murdering a defenseless – well, not defenseless, but you're murdering an innocent creature! You're not like that!"

"Innocent?" Leaf scoffed. "Even the creepiest of all fanboys will admit to evidence pointing against it. And no offense, Kris, but you're not the most objective source of proof."

"Do what she says, Kris," Eusine said suddenly, gesturing at his Alakazam. "You already fought to protect Suicune – now it's my turn to do my part."

Leaf rolled her eyes, but hopped off of her Rapidash's back all the same. Kris was not exactly convinced Eusine had it, but he insisted, so Kris moved away, allowing Eusine to stand between Leaf and Suicune, holding his cape dramatically.

"Alakazam, Psychic!" Eusine ordered.

"Flare Blitz," Leaf countered.

Rapidash leaped into the air, dodging Alakazam's psychic blast. Before Eusine could make a move, Rapidash cloaked itself in fire and charged at Alakazam with blinding speed, the intensity of the flames forcing even Kris, Morty and Wes to back away. Eusine watched helplessly as his Alakazam fell from a single hit, forcing him to withdraw it.

Leaf pointed her crossbow at Wes and Morty, stopping them from moving, while Lunick was forced to stay still to make sure Janine wouldn't escape. Eusine quickly scattered out of Leaf's way, allowing Kris to step in again.

"I won't let you hurt Suicune," she told Leaf firmly.

"And I won't let you stop me," Leaf countered seriously. "Stand aside."

"We have a witness right here," Kris gestured at Janine. "You remember her from the Silver Conference, right? She can verify that it wasn't Suicune who - who did it."

"I lost three good friends that day," Leaf whispered. "And now Silver has left as well. I've got no connections left, nothing to lose. But I'll gain satisfaction if I can kill the one responsible."

"Leaf," Kris said. "I know this isn't going to be easy to hear... but you're wrong. It was the Masked Man. He and Cyrus plotted it together. We have proof right here!"

"We all heard it," Wes said, Kris being grateful he finally found something useful to say. "She's working for _them_ , the ones you, Red and everyone worked against. She knows what she's talking about."

Leaf's hands trembled, Kris taking a few steps towards her.

"If you shoot Suicune now, you will not feel any better," Kris said. "I know you might think so right now - hell, that's probably what _I_ would do in your shoes. And if I wasn't such a Suciune geek, I guess."

"But..." Leaf bit her lip. "I finally had the chance..."

"I can't even imagine what you went through," Kris said calmly, taking another step towards Leaf. "You've had to fend for yourself since, what, age 14? Kidnapped by the Masked Man at such a young age, and then having things made even worse by the same man, losing Red, Silver, your friends... the only ones you could share your experiences with. But, if it's worth anything, I really admire how you've pulled through that, ever since I heard about your past. You're like my cool senpai or something!"

Leaf lowered her crossbow a bit.

"I heard someone smarter than me say a pretty profound thing today," Kris told Leaf. "They told me about how even insignificant actions can cause huge consequences, something you can't prepare for no matter how smart or far-thinking you think you are. I think it's the same way with human lives. It's like... when two worlds collide, they always have the potential to be beneficial to each other... or leave them in ruin. People who associate with me tend to get pulled into some weird things. I'm sorry about that."

Leaf shook her head, lowering her crossbow completely now.

"No," she said quietly. "This isn't... I'm the one who has to clean up my messes..."

"I don't know if the feeling is mutual," Kris said while carefully taking the crossbow away from Leaf, "but I'm pretty glad I got to meet you and have you in my world. You taught me a lot when you helped me prep for the Silver Conference."

Leaf wiped her eyes, turning away from the group. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "Tell... tell Suicune I'm sorry, too. I don't think I can help you with this plate business anymore... sorry..."

Though Kris tried to call after her, Leaf left the cape, whistling at her Rapidash and then jumping on its back, galloping away from the cape. Because Lunick was distracted by this, Janine was able to elbow him in the gut and pull out a flashbang grenade from one of her many pockets, blinding everyone. By the time the light and the ringing in their ears went away, Janine was gone - and so was their chance of proving Suicune innocent.

Speaking of Suicune, it was still there, but as soon as everyone was able to see again, Suicune lowered itself, looking ready to jump. Kris thought it would attack, but instead, it chucked the Splash Plate into the air, allowing Kris to catch it. Then, Suicune jumped off the cliff and back into the sea, Kris clearly seeing it dashing across the water, disappearing into the horizon in just a blue, glittering blur.

Eusine looked disappointed, but Morty had no time to coddle him, he just patted his friend on the back with an 'oh, well'-look on his face.

"Don't worry, Kris," Morty said. "I'll make sure the Legendary Pokémon stops pursuing Suicune. I'll tell the International Police, too. It's earned it. And now we only have two plates left to go!"

"Two?" Kris wondered.

"Got a message from Cynthia while you talked with that Leaf girl," Morty said, tapping his Aura Reader. "Your friends back in Pewter have found the Pixie Plate! Because we're making such good progress, Cynthia wants us all to meet in Pallet Town."

"That was amazing, Kris!" Lunick beamed. "You solved the situation without any unnecessary force! I had no idea you had it in you."

Kris exhaled deep, only now noticing how hard her heart had pounded against her chest during the talk with Leaf. "Thanks," she smiled.

"I'm just sorry I let that ninja do that to me," Lunick sighed. "Now she got away, with all her knowledge about these conspiracies!"

"Hey, I couldn't have held her for that long," Kris said. "Don't worry about it."

As everyone else prepared to leave for Pallet Town, Wes hung back awkwardly, desperately trying to catch Kris' glance.

"What?" she asked him. "We're in a hurry!"

"Can we have a chat, Kris?" Wes asked quietly. "In private?"

Kris sighed, but waved at Lunick to go ahead with Morty and Eusine. She figured Wes was there for some other reason, although with all that was going on, she couldn't bring herself to care too much.

"What?" she asked Wes rudely.

Wes took a deep breath. "You remember it, don't you?" he asked. "What happened when Darkrai, um... swallowed us, I guess? Well, something cooky happened."

Kris stared at him. Oh yeah, she remembered. And she remembered that Wes had panicked at the prospect of revealing something. Not that it took a mind-reading legendary Pokémon to tell what a lying creep he was.

"I remember it all," Kris said harshly. "What are you hiding?"

"This isn't easy for me to say," Wes said, sounding like every word was a struggle for him. "I... Yellow wasn't the only person I told about you."

Kris narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

"Someone hired me to inform him of your movements," Wes said, unable to look at Kris when he said it. "I mean, of course, I was going to try to do my best to help you anyway, but... I reported your whereabouts to him to the best of my abilities without telling you. I... played a part in manipulating you."

"You little creep," Kris said, her voice breaking. "I always knew you were up to no good, but... _ugh_ , I feel so... you were _using_ me?!"

"Helping someone to - I mean," Wes caught himself. "I suppose, yes. I didn't mean any harm!"

"Well, that makes it better, I guess!"

"I did it because the one who asked me to do it said it was for everyone's benefit!" Wes yelled defensively. "He's the only one who can help me get to the bottom of the Navel Rock incident!"

"And instead of asking me for help, you instead let him manipulate me?!" Kris snapped. "What is he doing with that information?!"

"I don't know," Wes lamented. "And I hated myself for doing it, I swear! The more I saw you do stuff... I mean, fight, against the Masked Man, against Latias, against Team Galactic... the more I started to admire you, legitimately! I want to keep helping you! But-"

"What is it now? And who is the one giving you orders anyway?"

Wes swallowed audibly, trying to hold back his tears of shame. "Cheren," he whimpered. "You remember him, right? It's because of me that he approached you in the Hoenn League, and in Sinnoh - but I had no idea he would do it, though! I swear!"

"You've done all the swears and promises you're going to do," Kris said mercilessly. "You'll never change. You'll always be a liar."

"Cheren is getting desperate!" Wes continued. "I don't know why, but... he wants the plates! He asked me to... to befriend you so I could steal them more easily..."

"I'm touched by your honesty," Kris said sarcastically, "but if you think you're my friend - especially after _this_ \- you're even more deluded than I though."

Kris turned around, ignoring Wes' desperate look. "I'm taking these plates to Cynthia and the others," she said. "I don't want to see you around anymore, Wes. Goodbye."

As Kris marched away, Wes didn't even try to stop her. He just stared after her sadly.

**~o~O~o~**

**_Location: Pewter City Pokémon Center, Kanto_ **

"Kris, you're back! Oh my gosh, Lunick, hi, how you've been?! Oh, and hi to everyone else as well!"

A cheerful voice greeted Kris upon her arrival, Iris waiting for Kris in the Pokémon Center's lobby, along with Dawn, all of Kris' Pokémon, Jupiter, Mars, and just as Kris had requested, the mysterious Yellow. After Kris had healed Gardevoir and Chandelure, Shrew jumped into her lap and started rubbing itself against her, Kris getting mold all over her clothes.

"All right, sheesh!" she laughed as she grabbed Shrew. "I was only gone for a few hours!"

"It was all thanks to Dawn that we found the Pixie Plate," Iris beamed, the arguments between them earlier completely forgotten as she showed the pinkish plate to Kris.

"Yes, it was all thanks to me," Dawn said. "I just saved the world! Where's the book about my adventures?"

"But we helped, though," Mars piped in, causing Croc to snap its jaws at her. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "Kris, you better tell that Feraligatr to get a grip!"

"Yeah, if that thing harms a hair on her head, I won't be held responsible for what I do!" Jupiter said surprisingly, making Mars smile.

"Thank you, Jupiter!" she said.

"Yeah," Jupiter continued, "cause I spent like an hour dying it last night! You want all my efforts to go to waste?!"

"...thanks, Jupiter," Mars grumbled.

"It's true, though, they helped a lot with the digging," Iris said diplomatically. "Dawn was the one who figured out _where_ to dig, though."

"All right, everyone, we're moving out to Pallet Town!" Morty announced. "I don't know what the deal with you two is," Morty said, glancing at Jupiter and Mars suspiciously, "but if you're interested in helping, we'll take who we can get."

Everyone left the Center besides Kris, Iris and Yellow, as Kris still wanted to have a talk with this mysterious, golden-haired and -eyed person. Yellow just observed Kris serenely, waiting for Kris to say something first.

"You knew Suicune was coming," she told Yellow. "This might not be smart, but I trust you."

"Yellow already told me what was up," Iris said, staring at Yellow in fascination. "You can really talk to Pokémon? What else can you do?!"

Yellow smiled. "All kinds of things, but there's really no time or need for them. Only one of my powers can be really useful to you right now."

"What's that?" Kris asked quickly.

Yellow looked hesitant. "It's not exactly easy for me and it has limitations, but I may be able to make your Pokémon stronger."

Iris and Kris glanced at each other, then crowded Yellow, just to make sure no one else would hear.

"How?!" they both asked excitedly.

Yellow smiled awkwardly. "Well, uh... I'd be imbuing them with energy that allows them to push past their limits and unlock their hidden potential. They'll receive a boost in their strength, speed, durability, tenacity, move power... everything you would need, but only for a certain amount of time. I'd estimate it to be around 12 hours."

Kris stared at Yellow. She'd never heard of something like that, but were it actually possible... a world of opportunities would open for her! Oh, and battling Cyrus would certainly be easier. She glanced at Iris, who nodded, and both returned all their Pokémon into their balls, putting all nine balls in front of Yellow.

"Do it," Kris said. "Um, please."

"I'd really love to see how that works!" Iris said cheerfully. "And I could use... well, um... yeah, I'm just curious!"

Yellow nodded and crouched on the floor next to the Poké Balls, holding their hands above them. Kris and Iris retreated a little to give Yellow some space, but also watched the results hungrily. For a short while, nothing seemed to happen as Yellow closed their eyes and concentrated. Then, their hands suddenly glowed and the Poké Balls started vibrating and shaking around a little, as if there was a very small earthquake happening. One by one, the nine Poké Balls began to glow and rise into the air, both Kris and Iris watching in awe as Yellow worked their magic. Sure, there were people like Sabrina the gym leader who could do tricks like that... but Kris and Iris could _feel_ the energy surging from Yellow and into the Poké Balls.

After a while, the glow stopped and the Poké Balls dropped, Kris and Iris immediately crouching to grab them for themselves. They barely noticed how Yellow had gotten a nosebleed from using so much of their energy, wiping it before Kris and Iris noticed anything. Yellow couldn't hide the fact that they nearly collapsed shortly afterwards, Iris catching them just barely.

"I'm fine," Yellow insisted. "I haven't done this in a long time... I forgot how much it drains you."

"Thank you!" Kris told Yellow. "This is definitely going to help. I think we need to get to Pallet Town now, though. Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Yellow nodded, though the wobbly way they were standing didn't convince Kris. "I'm afraid I can't come with you at the moment, though," Yellow said. "I wish you luck."

**~o~O~o~**

**_Location: Pallet Town, Kanto_ **

Kris, Iris, Dawn, Jupiter, Mars, Morty and Eusine met up with the whole gang in Pallet Town. Lucas and Barry were there, greeting Dawn enthusiastically and reluctantly, respectively. There were May and Brendan, Brendan looking very happy to see Dawn as well. And there were Blaine and professor Elm, waiting eagerly for news about the plates. And of course, most of the LPS was there, with Cynthia, Wallace, Steven and Caitlin waiting for them. Lance was the only notable one not present.

Cynthia, however, explained the reason for it: Lance was coming to Pallet, escorting the leader of the Legendary Pokémon Society with him, which definitely made Kris curious. She had assumed the organization had no leader, or if it did, it was someone high-ranking like Lance or Cynthia. But someone was up even higher than them... someone who Kris needed to impress.

She didn't have to wait long, either, as everyone soon turned their attention to a distant rumbling sound that got louder and louder: a helicopter was making its way towards Pallet, and based on Cynthia's reaction, Lance and the mysterious leader were aboard.

* * *


	22. Mega Moonblast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kris tries one more time to join the Legendary Pokémon Society, going straight to the organization's leader. Meanwhile, Cheren is making his move in his quest for power.

Kris watched the helicopter land in awe, holding her hat to keep it from being blown away. Three people stepped out of the chopper: one of them was a member of the Wise Trio - Kris had forgotten their names already. The second was Lance, looking oddly concerned for the well-being of the third man that he escorted, an elderly monk with a thick mustache wearing a magnificent purple and golden robe. Kris hadn't seen or thought about him since she was in Violet City so many months ago - it was Elder Li from the Sprout Tower!

" _He's_ in charge?" Kris whispered at Cynthia, but Cynthia ignored her, stepping forward to greet this man, the helicopter flying away and its noise covering whatever Cynthia and Li talked about.

The other LPS members present, Wallace, Steven, Morty, Caitlin and Eusine, bowed as Elder Li approached, Eusine only doing so after Morty nudged him and even then he didn't look happy about it.

Kris, who had no time for such things, marched straight up to Elder Li, ignoring the audible gasps of disapproval from some of the LPS members. Even Cynthia looked a little bothered when Kris just walked over to Li, looking like she had something important say.

"Hey, Elder!" Kris said rudely, Lance giving her a menacing glare. "I don't know if you remember me, but-"

"We met at the Sprout Tower, I remember," Li said immediately and turned to Lance. "Thank you, brother Lance, but I can walk on my own just fine," he said, Lance immediately letting go of Li's arm. Li turned back to Kris. "From what I've heard, my teachings have helped you a lot. I can't take any credit from the things you did, however. I merely taught you some basics."

"Oh... um, no, it helped," Kris said, having prepared for a rude response. "I mean, if I hadn't gotten my first badge, I probably would have given up before entering the trials."

"I'm sorry to hear about Pryce, though," Li said gravely. "Never once did I suspect him to be such a madman. Looks like we have you to thank for ending his spree of terror as well. Thank you."

Kris blushed awkwardly when Li thanked and even bowed at her. Lance did not approve.

"Elder, with all due respect, this is not the time to exchange pleasantries," he said, sounding weird showing deference to someone. "We still have to-"

"You remember brother Lance's grandfather?" Li asked Kris pleasantly. "The head of the Blackthorn Dragon Clan? He's a friend of mine from way back. When I was putting the Legendary Pokémon Society together, he recommended Lance to me and I made him the first member of the society! Lance was around your age at the time, I think. He was so excited to join that he threw up when we had dinner in his honor!"

" _Elder_!"

Li laughed, further giving Kris the confidence she needed to ask her question.

"Elder, I have a request," she said quickly so Lance and Cynthia couldn't interrupt. "I think I'm ready to join your ranks. Will you make me a member of the Legendary Pokémon Society?"

"No."

Kris stared at the Elder, who just smiled at Kris politely.

"Perhaps you need time to consider...?" Kris tried.

"No, I don't," Li said cheerfully. "You cannot join."

"...why?!" Kris snapped. "You said yourself, I stopped the Masked Man! I helped save us all from Latias and Cyrus! I've helped out nearly every one of your members somehow! I _deserve_ to join this club! Or whatever this is!"

"I thanked you for your _part_ in it all," Li clarified, "I know you didn't stop the Masked Man without help, and you received help for all those other things as well. Should I make the young lady from the Village of Dragons a member as well? Or Dr. Blaine? Or that Orrean fellow?"

Kris sighed and folded her arms. "What can I do convince you I'm good enough?" she said aloud. "You think you're a pretty good trainer, do you?" she asked.

"Hold your tongue, Kris!" Lance snapped. "The Elder is one of the most competent-"

"I'm all right, I think," Li said modestly with a shrug. "For someone my age, anyway."

"In that case," Kris said and grabbed a Poké Ball from her belt, "battle me. I win, you let me in. You win... and I'll accept that I'm not good enough."

Lance opened his mouth, but it was Cynthia who stepped in first.

"Kris, this isn't the time for that!" she snapped.

"Calm down, sister Cynthia, we still need two plates, after all," Li said calmly. "Sage Tim will help locate them, and in the meantime... I accept young Kris' challenge. Perhaps she'll also finally calm down and help us without distractions if I do."

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Kris yelled. "Just decide the rules already!"

"You are free to choose."

"Okay, then... five Poké Balls, and a fifteen-minute time limit, since we're in such a 'hurry' and all," Kris listed.

"Feel free to use five," Li said. "I will only use three, however. Cynthia can be the referee. Agreed?"

Kris grabbed Li's extended hand and shook it roughly. "Agreed!"

**~o~O~o~**

Everyone who rooted for Kris gathered in professor Oak's laboratory. So, basically, only Iris, Lunick, Eusine, Blaine and professor Elm were there. All LPS members barring Eusine obviously rooted for Li, who was having some sort of secret meeting in Oak's house, while the others didn't really care. Iris was massaging Kris' stiff shoulders, Lunick and Eusine gave Kris some conflicting last-minute tips, Blaine paced around the room nervously and Elm typed stuff on his computer. Elm had already delivered Kris Snorlax and Honchkrow, with whom Kris' chances of victory would go up sharply, but she was still nervous. She had decided on using those two, plus Croc, Froslass and Shrew, wanting to save Chandelure and Gardevoir due to their battles earlier, Gardevoir in particular having just barely recovered from poisoning.

The first and last time Kris had seen Li battle before was when Silver defeated him at the Sprout Tower. Back then he had just used a flimsy little Hoothoot, and Kris was sure he had been holding back at the time. Even now, he was confident facing Kris with only three Pokémon. Kris really hoped using Shrew wouldn't be necessary. For all she knew, Li probably had Mega Stones for every Pokémon in the world - how else could he afford to give them away to people like Eusine?

"Kris, you know you have nothing to prove," Lunick told her calmly. "I don't see why you would even want to join their organization."

"They're the best," Kris said simply.

"They really are," Eusine said proudly, turning to Lunick. "It's a great honor. That word means something to you warrior-type people, right? _Honor_ _!_ H-A... um... was there a D there somewhere?"

"Perhaps their standards have faltered over time," Lunick muttered to Eusine. "Kris, battles like this have no point. I'm definitely on your side here, but we should save our strength for Giratina!"

"You should save your strength trying to find a way to go back!" Kris pointed out. "You said yourself - you may be able to use one of those portals to return to your time!"

"Protecting the future is just as important!" Lunick argued. "I care about what happens to this world, even if it doesn't concern me, and we all should worry about people 300 years from now as well! Of course, I want to return, but... this time isn't so bad..."

Kris smiled, feeling her face heating up again. She could swear Iris was laughing behind her.

"What?!" she snapped at her.

"I didn't say anything," Iris teased. "But Lunick has a point. Cyrus or Giratina or Latias could attack us at any time!"

"This is just a match to see who's more worthy," Kris said evasively. "If he loses, it's not just the membership that I get - that arrogant old fool will be humiliated in front of his lackeys! No offense, Eusine."

"Pfft, I never cared for him!" Eusine scoffed. "He always doubted my skills! But my keen nose found us the Splash Plate! If you think about it, I saved the world!"

"Eusine," Blaine grunted, "shut up and never say a word as long as you live! Kris, while I think Iris and Lunick do have a point... I want to see you beat that guy so much!"

"Thanks," Kris smiled.

"Go for the knees, he won't see it coming!" Eusine said.

Lunick rolled his eyes. "It's a Pokémon battle, not a wrestling match. Kris, you need to be wary of this man - he has an aura about him that makes me-"

"Aura, schmaura," Eusine said. "You need to yell, or make sudden movements, or something like that. He's old, he'll get startled easily, and then you can get the drop on him. But, you know, do it suavely."

"If you battle with five Pokémon, remember to switch out regularly, don't keep a Pokémon out on the field too long. It's gonna be a tough match, so if they're out there longer than three minutes, switch out!"

"Keep hydrated!" Iris advised. "I know it's only fifteen minutes, but you're already sweating a lot!"

"Everyone just - please!" Kris yelled. "Thanks for the help, but I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing."

With that, Kris left the lab and started pacing around Oak's house, wringing her hands.

 _I don't know what I'm doing_ , she lamented mentally.

In a town this small, Kris could almost see the square where the LPS members were already gathering in anticipation of the battle. Even random spectators were coming in! Still, Kris tried to tell herself that she had a secret weapon up her sleeve. When Yellow had done that thing, she had definitely felt... _something_. Not sure what, though.

As she tried to calm her nerves, Kris saw someone trying to stealthily exit Oak's house, though her big white hat, bright red shirt and blue overalls made her stand out. Wanting something to vent her frustrations on, Kris marched over to Lyra, surprising her.

"Going somewhere?" Kris asked harshly.

"Hiiiiii, Kris!" Lyra yelped in a high-pitched voice, trying her best to pretend Kris hadn't startled her. "Um, yeah, I forgot some of my stuff at Oak's place last time... and stuff..."

"Mm," Kris said and folded her arms. "So, how many plates did you find?"

"Well, southern Kanto is a very wide area-"

"Yeah, I know you found zero," Kris said harshly. "And you didn't help the others look for them, either. Literally everyone else has done something."

"If you knew, then why did you ask?"

"...shut up. And where are you off to now? Going to bail?"

Lyra looked bothered. Glancing around her as if someone was eavesdropping, Lyra then suddenly stepped uncomfortably close to Kris, lowering her voice dramatically.

"Look, Kris," she said, "this stuff sounds incredibly dangerous! Not to mention just plain crazy! Otherworldly monsters? Dimensional distortions? Some vague plan to use some stone tablets to stop this all just because some people told us to?!"

"Not _some_ _people_ , we're talking about Champions and Elite Four members here," Kris deadpanned. "What are you saying?"

Lyra suddenly grabbed Kris' hand and stepped even closer, which made Kris blush nervously again.

"I'm saying that let's get the hell out!" Lyra whispered. "If they're so great, let them handle it. Meanwhile, you and I can go far away from this craziness. Like Unova or something! Maybe bring Iris with us if she wants, but... well, we won't have time to convince her! I have a feeling things are about get bad quick!"

Kris just stared at Lyra blankly for a few seconds. Then, she slowly pulled her hand away from her and took a few steps backwards.

"You know full well what Darkrai told us back there," she said quietly. "I remember it, Wes remembers it... and so do you. And you're still saying we should run away instead of doing something about it?"

"What is there for _us_ to do?!" Lyra wondered. "If those Champions can do it, then they can do it without us. And if not... well, I want to be far away when that happens! Uh, if that happens."

Kris took another step back. "I'm not going with you," she said plainly. "I'm going to do what's right. I'm offering to ignore what you just said and am giving you a chance to do the right thing, too. If you don't want to do that, then you can go alone. I don't want to watch a coward while I'm out fighting."

Lyra and Kris stared each other for a while. The look on Lyra's face was pretty hard to decipher - it was like she was undergoing a million emotions at the same time. Biting her lip and her eyes damp, Lyra finally just left, walking away without saying a word. Unlike when Lyra was eagerly looking for someone to look for the plates with, Kris actually felt like garbage saying that. But if Lyra was so ready to give up in the face of danger, she was useless in the fight.

And, as always, at the back of her mind, Kris knew that Lyra had a point.

A few minutes later, Kris and Elder Li were facing off on Pallet Town's busiest square - meaning there were nearly ten people watching the battle on top of the LPS members and the rest of the gang. Kris glanced at her support crew, who all stood in one bunch. Iris and Eusine cheered wildly, professor Elm smiled reassuringly and Blaine gave Kris a nod. But it was Lunick whose interest Kris wanted to catch - she wanted to make sure he was watching. Maybe it was selfish, but it was Lunick's praise back in Hoenn when all seemed lost that helped Kris pull through, and she could really use that same feeling now.

May, Brendan, Dawn, Lucas, Barry, Jupiter and Mars were standing on the sidelines, mostly talking to each other rather than paying attention to the fight. May and Brendan were holding hands, which made Kris smile a bit. Cynthia was standing between Kris and Li.

"The battle between Kris and Elder Li is about to begin," she announced. "Challenger Kris can use five Pokémon in this battle. Elder Li can use three. The time limit for this battle is fifteen minutes, starting from my count. When the time runs out, the challenger with the most victories, that is, Pokémon they have defeated, will win. Should both challengers be even at that point, the battle will continue and the challenger whose in-battle Pokémon gets knocked out first, loses. Switching Pokémon is allowed if it's done within the time limit. Have both challengers understood these rules?"

"You bet," Kris said, while Li nodded. "Pretty complicated, aren't they?"

"These are based on official League rules, though obviously they aren't recapped in every match," Cynthia said coldly. "You should know that at this point."

Kris frowned.

"Challengers - get ready!" Cynthia yelled. "The battle begins... now!"

From this point on, Kris phased the audience on the sidelines and the background noise out of her mind. There was only herself, Li, the battlefield and whatever Pokémon they had on the field. Kris sent out Croc, who hadn't had a battle since its reckless attack against Darkrai, and was more than eager to show off its moves. Li sent out a large, green, reptilian Pokémon with rock-hard skin - a Tyranitar. _As I suspected - he's been holding back at the Sprout Tower_ _._

"Croc, keep your distance!" Kris advised. "Now - Hydro Pump!"

"Sandstorm," Li ordered.

Tyranitar's eyes flashed blue for a second as it whipped up a fierce sandstorm, hiding itself and Li out of sight. Croc was still charging its attack while this happened, and of course the attack missed because of this.

"Don't mind, Croc," Kris said quickly, fearing what happened if the Feraligatr got too annoyed. "Use Earthquake!"

Croc stomped the ground with such force that it caused a crack on the ground. Kris couldn't fully see what happened to Tyranitar at first, but she still heard its wail, thinking the attack had hit. Indeed, the sandstorm subsided and Kris saw that Tyranitar's other foot was stuck in the crevice - it was helpless.

"Okay, Croc, get close and use Waterfall!" Kris yelled.

"Dark Pulse!" Li shouted as Croc rushed towards Tyranitar.

"Block it with Aqua Tail!" Kris ordered immediately.

Croc canceled its Waterfall attack and instead made its tail glow blue, surrounding it with a veil of water. As Tyranitar fired a dark purple and black beam of energy at Croc, the Feraligatr jumped into the air and deflected the attack with its tail, then using the tail to whack Tyranitar in the face.

"Crunch!" Li yelled.

"Don't let it grab you - Superpower!" Kris countered.

Kris forgot to specify how to do it, but she assumed Croc would once again gather all its energy and momentum into one punch like before. But instead, Croc's whole body glowed blue as it grabbed Tyranitar's jaws, locking them in place and preventing it from biting. Kris could outright see Croc's muscles tensing up as it wrestled Tyranitar into the ground with all its might - something Kris had _not_ told it to do. She prayed no one had noticed that fact and decided to let the others believe it was intentional.

"Nice going, Croc!" she praised. "Now, finish it with Hydro Cannon, as close as you can!"

"Tyranitar, Earthquake!" Li yelled.

But Croc was faster. It took a few steps backwards as it formed a massive, glowing sphere of water in its mouth, firing it as soon as it was able. The explosion and the huge splash following it made it hard to see, but as soon as the smoke cleared, Kris threw away all hesitation and cheered loudly as she saw Croc standing over an unconscious Tyranitar, roaring victoriously. The attack had clearly exhausted it, though, as there were large beads of sweat all over its body and it stopped its roar short to catch its breath.

Cynthia stared at the sight in shock, but was still the first to collect herself. "Uh... Tyranitar is unable to battle! Feraligatr wins! One point to challenger Kris!"

Li was unfazed. He just recalled Tyranitar and quietly thanked it before putting the Poké Ball away. Kris thanked Croc as well before withdrawing it, wanting it to catch its breath for a short while. Li didn't stop to praise Kris or talk smack, just sent out another Pokémon: a blue, ferocious-looking dragon-type Pokémon with large, bright red wings. _A friggin' Salamence_!

"Snorlax, go!"

Kris wasn't holding back when it came to fighting pseudo-legendaries. Snorlax had been well-fed and well-rested at Elm's lab while Kris had taught it all the necessary tricks to be able to fight. It couldn't be on the field for too long, but Kris was feeling confident after the last battle. This time, she'd let Li make the first move.

"Flamethrower!" Li ordered.

"Amnesia!" Kris countered.

Snorlax did just as Kris told it to do: scratch its head, look confused and sit down, emitting a slight glow as it did so. While it was hit by Salamence's blast of fire, it did barely any damage, Snorlax looking like it outright enjoyed the warmth.

When Li ordered a Dragon Claw next and Salamence flew towards Snorlax, its sharp claws glowing, Kris didn't do anything, merely observed the battlefield and tried to look like she was trying to figure out what to do. But just before Salamence was in range, she quickly ordered an Ice Punch.

"Salamence, dodge!"

Salamence swerved out of the way, canceling its Dragon Claw. Snorlax's Ice Punch missed, but Kris didn't mind - avoiding the Dragon Claw was just what she had in mind, and Li's reaction made it clear Salamence's defense couldn't be too high.

"Now, Belly Drum!" Kris shouted.

"Fly!" Li yelled.

Salamence increased its speed as it flew up high, then dived down and started charging towards Snorlax, who was drumming its belly and charged up its attack power, humming cheerfully all the way, looking like it was having the time of its life. As Salamence got close, it quickly circled around Snorlax to strike, but Kris didn't try to block this one. As Snorlax was hit by the attack, the berry inside its mouth activated and a yellow aura activated around it, the aura pushing Salamence back and injuring it.

Kris smiled, looking as smug as she could to annoy Li, who did nothing. Before the battle, Kris had fed Snorlax, and had included a Jacoba Berry in its food. She had found it while training with Alder, having been taught about the hundreds of different berry varieties there. This one was a rare one that injured the enemy as it tried to use a physical attack. And now that Snorlax had eaten a berry...

"Belch!" Kris yelled.

Snorlax opened its mouth and let out an echoing burp, blasting Salamence with a load of foul-smelling, greenish substance, hitting it right in the eyes. When Salamence was blind and dropped on the ground, Kris ordered another Ice Punch. Moving with uncanny ability for its species, Snorlax charged at Salamence with its fist glowing icy blue, punching Salamence with all its might. This attack knocked Salamence out in an instant.

There was restless muttering among the LPS members as Cynthia declared Snorlax the winner, making Kris grin. This 'nobody' was _dominating_ their precious Elder. She would have to thank Yellow once this was done, but for now, she focused on the battle. Li was already taking out his next Pokémon... one that apparently was contained in a purple and white Poké Ball with pink circles on both sides and a large letter 'M' decorating it...

 _Oh no_.

Everyone else got restless too as Li chucked the Master Ball into the air. In a flash of red light, Li sent out a large, yellow bird Pokémon with a thin but extremely sharp-looking orange beak. The Pokémon's wings and tails were covered in a mass of spiky feathers and its talons looked like it could crush Li's other Pokémon with ease. But the worst was its raspy, guttural cry, accompanied with crackles of lightning erupting from its body, raising Kris' hair up.

Nearly everyone in attendance looked shocked, and Kris instinctively reached for her PokéDex, desperate to scan this Pokémon... only to remember that SkrillDex had probably been destroyed. Li was happy to explain it to her, though.

"This is the legendary Pokémon Zapdos," Li said. "While brother Lance was out looking for the Zap Plate, he found out something unusual around the Kanto Power Plant. He sent the younger ones away and called me to investigate, as I had the Master Ball in hand should an emergency happen. It turns out Zapdos once made its roost in the Power Plant, but as it was fixed and reopened, Zapdos lost its home and became angered. I was able to tame it - temporarily. Still, legendary as it may be, Zapdos is freshly caught by me, so you still have a chance. Unless you wish to give up."

"N... no, I don't!" Kris said, her nervousness apparent in her voice. "Uh... Snorlax, are you still okay to fight?"

Snorlax flexed its muscles and grunted affirmatively, much to Kris' relief.

"We took out one flying-type, so this won't be that hard," Kris told Snorlax. "First, why don't we shoot it down with Hyper Beam!"

Snorlax charged energy in its mouth, then blasted it straight at Zapdos. But Li quickly ordered a dodge, then retaliated with Drill Peck. Zapdos moved out of the beam's way so quickly that Kris had trouble keeping track. Then, with its beak spinning like a drill, it rammed into Snorlax, stabbing it right in the midsection, Snorlax too exhausted by its failed attack to dodge. Snorlax was knocked out with a single blow, Kris recalling it in disbelief.

 _Don't panic_ _,_ she told herself. _Snorlax didn't get a power-up from Yellow._ _If I use_ her _,_ _I'll win for sure_ _._

Kris sent out Froslass next. As frail as she was, she was probably the only Pokémon Kris had who could match Zapdos' speed. Though she did a few excited spins once out of her Poké Ball, Froslass froze in horror when she saw Zapdos, and when she heard it growl again.

"Don't worry, Froslass!" Kris encouraged. "It may look tough, but it's controlled by a human - it's not too different from any other Pokémon. We'll take it down with a single hit - use Blizzard!"

But Zapdos dodged, and Li retaliated with Discharge. Kris quickly ordered Froslass to do evasive maneuvers, and Froslass nimbly floated away from the sparks of electricity Zapdos spread all over the battlefield, giggling and taunting Zapdos all the way.

"Shadow Ball!" Kris told Froslass.

"Agility!" Li ordered.

Zapdos suddenly disappeared, the Shadow Ball missing by the mile, and before Kris or Froslass noticed, the legendary bird was suddenly behind the ice-type.

"Drill Peck!" Li ordered again.

Once again, Zapdos brought down one of Kris' Pokémon with a single attack, Kris quickly withdrawing Froslass before she crashed into the ground. Zapdos looked no worse for wear, circling above the battlefield and screeching horribly.

"If you doubt your ability, you can battle with me two Pokémon at once, should you wish," Li said. "You are dealing with Zapdos, after all."

Kris didn't say anything, but took Li's hint, desperately sending out both Croc and Honchkrow into the fray, fully realizing the disadvantage they had. And, as much as Kris tried, they too fell within a minute. Kris told Honchkrow to go around Zapdos and use Night Slash, but another Discharge from Zapdos took it down instantly. Croc fared little better, Kris telling it to concentrate with all its might and use Hydro Cannon, but again, the risk was not worth it, Croc exhausting itself and missing, leaving it wide open for Zapdos' Thunderbolt.

Now Kris was down to one Pokémon... and it was Shrew. Sure, he resisted Zapdos' attacks, but Zapdos would only have to slightly jab Shrew with its talons to break its skin, something Kris did not want to see. Still, the battle was still going on and everyone waited for Kris to make her move.

"Please, Shrew," Kris whispered into her Poké Ball, "fight."

Kris sent out her Sandshrew, who was immediately startled and curled up into a ball, shivering. Kris groaned - she could have sworn Barry was laughing at her from the crowd.

"Shrew, just stay calm!" Kris urged the terrified Pokémon. "Its attacks can't hurt you. And you're the fastest Sandshrew there is! If it comes at you, go underground!"

Shrew's fears seemed to be alleviated and it uncurled itself, though it still visibly shivered as it stared up at the mighty Zapdos. And so did Kris - was winning this even remotely possible? Before Kris could think of an attack, though, Li ordered Zapdos to use Discharge, sending showers of electricity all over the field. Even if Shrew was unaffected, the loud sounds and bright lights startled it again, rendering it unable to do anything. Kris ordered Shrew to use Rock Tomb, but Shrew didn't even seem to hear, while Li ordered a Drill Peck. Kris tried to yell at Shrew to dodge, watching helplessly as Zapdos made its beak spin like a drill again, then swooped down towards Shrew.

Kris could see the attack hitting Shrew in her mind's eye. It wouldn't just be knocked out, the attack could be _lethal_ for all Kris knew. And just like that, she remembered Shrew's first battle with her, how it was badly hurt and had suffered head trauma, yet Kris had still ordered it to take a Headbutt from Falkner's Hoothoot head on. Shrew could have been incapacitated for good, yet all Kris had thought about at the time was winning. And now, it was all happening again...

_No!_

Kris rushed over to Shrew, spreading her arms and stepping in front of the Pokémon, yelling: "STOP!"

"Stop, Zapdos!" Li ordered.

The legendary bird stopped its advance - which Li had no doubt counted on. Kris didn't care, though. He could have the victory. She didn't have a chance to begin with.

"I forfeit!" Kris told Li as she picked the shivering Sandshrew in her arms. "You win!"

"Wise choice, Kris," Li said while Zapdos continued circling above the town square, people on the ground gawking and pointing. "You battled extremely well, I must say. I hope you'll honor your side of the agreement, then."

"Yeah," Kris grumbled. _Goodbye, Legendary Pokémon Society_ _,_ she thought as she stroked Shrew's head. _Though if I had to orders from that guy, it probably wouldn't have been worth it, anyway..._

While Kris tended to Shrew, Elder Li did something unexpected. First, he let out his Tyranitar, getting it back on its feet with a Hyper Potion - surprisingly quickly considering it got knocked out, making Kris wonder if Li was even fighting with his full capacity. Li said something to Tyranitar, who nodded. Then, without warning, Li chucked the empty Master Ball into the air, allowing Tyranitar to destroy with a precise Hyper Beam attack. Even the Master Ball couldn't take that, and was shattered into pieces.

"Legendary Pokémon are not for us humans to tame," Li said simply. "Zapdos! You are now free! Please find a place to live in and try to live peace with other Pokémon - and even us lowly humans, if you can!"

Zapdos flew a few circles above Pallet Town, then flew away to the sea, disappearing into the horizon. Kris looked after it, mystified by why Li would let something that powerful go.

"I would suggest you heal your Pokémon, Kris," Li said casually. "I need a moment to prepare as well. Now that we're done, we can begin planning our attack."

Kris ignored the comforting of Iris, Lunick and others, passively handing Croc, Froslass, Honchkrow and Snorlax to professor Elm, muttering something about getting them fixed up, while taking Gardevoir and Chandelure back from him. For now, all she wanted to do was find a secluded spot with no people and... what? Cry? Rage? Have a total breakdown, strip naked and start living in the wilderness? Well, she wasn't sure yet, but she did want to be alone.

Except that just wasn't going to happen. As Kris wandered to the edges of Pallet Town, someone was waiting for her there, looking more serious than Kris ever remembered seeing him: Wes, nervously looking around him and gesturing for Kris to come closer.

"I thought I told you to stay out," Kris warned.

But Wes kept looking at the suitcase handcuffed to Kris.

"Kris," he said, face pale and sweaty, "I need those plates. Cheren, he... I'm under orders!"

"Well, you have to disobey them," Kris said nonchalantly. "You'll get nothing - and you'll like it!"

Kris was about to leave, when Wes yelled out, eyes to the ground, sounding almost like he was on the verge of tears: "He threatened my family!"

Kris stopped and turned to look at Wes. "Cheren?"

"It wasn't very ambiguous," Wes said quietly. "If I don't hand the plates to him, my mom and my sister will be hurt."

"And how do I know this isn't another lie?" Kris countered. "Sounds like just the sob story you'd pull on me."

"I wouldn't be doing this otherwise!" Wes snapped. "I'm disgusted with myself as it is..."

Kris glared at Wes. He no doubt knew how to be manipulative, and attempting to make Kris feel guilty for yelling at him would be just another thing he'd try. He was a criminal who wanted to get the plates for himself, nothing more.

...or so Kris wanted to believe. Wes' pained expression and pathetic pleading seemed sincere enough. But there was no way she'd just hand the plates over. They were the only hope the world had for Arceus' sake!

Yup. Absolutely no way she'd do that.

**~o~O~o~**

**_Location: Fields, west of Pallet Town, Kanto_ **

**_A while later..._ **

Wearing his usual sharp blue suit, Cheren waited for Wes' arrival in the flesh, standing in the shadow of one of the only trees around, tapping his foot impatiently and checking his watch theatrically as he saw Wes approach. But in reality, he could barely contain his excitement when he saw Wes approach with a brown suitcase in hand. Cheren tried waving at Wes discreetly to pick up the pace, but when the Orrean didn't seem to get the hint, Cheren sighed and walked over to Wes himself.

"Fantastic job, Wes!" Cheren praised immediately. "You'll be sure to get your reward! And I'll be looking forward to your co-operation in the fut-"

"That's not what I'm here for!" Wes said angrily, yanking the case away from Cheren. "You have to give me your word not to hurt my family!"

"Since when did you become so boring?" Cheren sighed.

"Just promise it!"

Cheren raised his hand mockingly. "I swear," he said.

Wes eyed Cheren suspiciously, but then, he slowly extended his hand and loosened his grip on the case, handing it to Cheren, who snatched it away as soon as it was within his reach. As Cheren fiddled with the lock of the case, Wes looked around him. Cheren had chosen an empty but also very open and flat place to meet in, with little to no cover. Just a tree and some haystacks in the middle of the vast, grassy fields, practically no one around to see if something would go wrong.

"So my mom and sister are safe now?" Wes asked Cheren, who was so excited to open the case that his hands were shaking, causing him to drop it.

"Hm? Oh, sure, yeah. You know, it's nothing personal. I needed to motivate you, that's all."

"So... would you have actually done it?"

Finally managing to open the case, Cheren smirked at Wes. "If that's what it takes," he said. "Don't think you're special in that regard, Wes."

Cheren looked down at the contents of the case, his smile disappearing. The case was full of nothing but flat, thin rocks and a note saying ' _Dear Scumbag'_ with a crude drawing of some kind.

Cheren glanced at Wes. "Tell me you didn't just-"

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Kris jumped at Cheren from a tree branch above, screaming her lungs out and telegraphing her 'surprise attack' so clearly that Cheren only had to take a few steps backwards, causing Kris to land painfully on the ground. Cheren was about to taunt Kris over her failure when a psychic attack suddenly hit him and froze him still, Kris' Gardevoir emerging from a nearby haystack, concentrating its energy on Cheren, who was completely immobile below his neck.

"That's all I needed to hear," Kris told Cheren harshly, wanting to slap him across the face more than anything. "I'm guessing there's a lot of stuff I have to ' _thank_ ' you for, Cheren."

"Nice to see you again, Kris," Cheren said suavely as he struggled against Gardevoir's psychic bonds. "I'm really disappointed at this sudden hostility. After all I did to you, making you a celebrity and a hero to the people of Sinnoh-"

"Shut up," Kris said. "You really expected me to swallow all that crap you were spewing in Sinnoh, or in Hoenn? You weren't concerned with anything but your own interests. You sent Missile to the Sinnoh League and told him to steal the Fist Plate from Cynthia, too, didn't you?"

"Perhaps," Cheren said evasively. "You definitely seemed receptive to my ideas at the time..."

"I never had any interest in becoming your puppet," Kris said. "I only played along so I could get what I wanted from you."

Cheren laughed a bit. "If only I could have had someone like _you_ work for me instead of Wesley."

"I'm done working for you!" Wes said. "Find some other idiot if you can... I doubt they'll be a stupid as me, though..."

Cheren rolled his eyes. As he looked around him, no doubt trying to distract Kris and Wes, his gaze hitting the suitcase still handcuffed to Kris' wrist.

"Ah, _there_ _'s_ the real thing!" Cheren said smoothly. "Pretty gutsy of you to bring them all to me."

"Like _you'd_ be able to take them from me, anyway!" Kris mocked. "Your plan wasn't very good, anyway. You came here alone, no one to back you up?"

Cheren tilted his head forward, grinning at Kris and Wes over his glasses. "Not exactly..."

Then, without warning, a Dark Pulse was fired from the sky, the dark purple beam hitting Gardevoir square in the face. Cheren was released from Gardevoir's psychic grip while Kris and Wes scattered as another Dark Pulse almost hit them. Kris looked up: a Mandibuzz was circling above them, Kris having seen it from afar but having thought it was just a wild Pidgeot or something. Gardevoir still wasn't fully out of it, though, getting up to fight the two Pokémon Cheren sent out: a Stoutland and a Cinccino. Wes also sent out a Pokémon: his Ninetales.

"Kris," Wes muttered under his breath, "remember that this guy is a gym leader. He apparently even helped fight some gang in Unova a few years ago. Let's not underestimate him."

Kris just smiled cockily. "Whatever you say," she said. "But in return... do what I tell you."

"Huh?"

"I'm in charge of this battle, okay?" Kris whispered. "Just trust me. Now, make sure his Pokémon can't move away!"

"...I think I get you," Wes said. "Okay, Ninetales, Fire Spin on those two!" he commanded, pointing at Cinccino and Stoutland.

Ninetales blasted Cinccino and Stoutland with spiraling flames that, instead of burning the enemies directly, wrapped around them, trapping Cheren and his two Pokémon inside the pillar of fire. Kris then ordered Gardevoir to hit Mandibuzz with Moonblast, hoping to drop it out of the sky, but Cheren retaliated with Brave Bird. Tucking its wings, Mandibuzz swooped the Moonblast recklessly, managing to harmlessly burst through the attack and towards Cheren. When it was close enough, Mandibuzz allowed Cheren to grab its talons and picked its trainer up into safety while Cinccino hopped on Stoutland's back, the canine Pokémon getting both of them out from the fiery trap.

Cheren grinned at Kris and Wes mockingly.

"That was a good strategy," Cheren said, "but I have a way to get out of every situation. If it's a fight you want, then come at me!"

" _Okay_!"

The echoing, menacing, high-pitched voice suddenly blaring all over the place sent chills down Kris' spine. Out of nowhere, a Hyper Beam attack hit Mandibuzz. Though Mandibuzz was only grazed by the destructive beam, it was badly wounded and knocked into the ground instantly.

"No!" Cheren yelled, rushing over to his Mandibuzz. "Please, hold on!" he told Kris and Wes. "I can't fight with one of my Pokémon like this. Where did-?"

" _MIST BALL!_ "

A large blue energy sphere appeared from the sky, blasting the ground right next to where the battle was going on. One blast was enough to knock all of Cheren's remaining Pokémon and Wes' Ninetales out of commission, while Cheren himself was caught in the blast and knocked away, as was Gardevoir. By the time Kris and Wes were able to see anything, Stoutland, Cinccino and Ninetales were laying beaten and wounded on the ground while Gardevoir was barely standing. Wes withdrew Ninetales while Kris looked up, her fears confirmed.

Latias hovered above the group, in her normal, non-Mega Evolved form, blood dripping out of her mouth as she panted like crazy, pupil-less eyes staring down on Kris and Wes.

" _YOU!_ " Latias screamed at Kris, the sheer force of it almost knocking Kris off her feet. " _Give me the plates you are carrying! Now!_ "

"Wes," Kris said quickly, and both Kris and Wes sent out more Pokémon: Kris sent out her Chandelure while Wes went with his Zebstrika.

As they ordered their Pokémon into battle, Kris was mostly distracted by frantically trying to think of ways to get the hell out. Even with a power-up, Chandelure wouldn't last long against Latias. Though, Kris noticed as she ordered a Shadow Ball while Wes ordered Zebstrika to use Discharge, Latias actually seemed to be hurt by their attacks.

" _Why_?!" Latias yelled as she blasted Chandelure away with a Dark Pulse. " _Why do you keep protecting them?! And you humans! You don't even know what kind of power you're carrying! You don't even know what they do!_ "

To say that the plan just popped into Kris' mind was a long shot would have been an understatement. However, it was the only plan she had.

She tried to reason with Latias.

"We don't even have them all!" Kris yelled at her as she fired a Dragonbreath attack at Zebstrika, keeping it at bay. "We're still missing two!"

" _It doesn't matter_!" Latias raged. " _I need them! I can use to summon the most powerful Pokémon this planet has to offer. I'll absorb them, making me strong enough to destroy the one who did this to me. I know now... neither Charon nor Cyrus were powerful enough! They were just being controlled by it! NIGHT DAZE!_ "

As Latias fired crimson shock waves into every direction, Kris quickly withdrew her barely conscious Chandelure, worrying that the attack would have done worse than knock it out. Zebstrika, however, was caught in the blast and instantly knocked out before Wes could recall it.

In the midst of the destruction, Kris ran over to Gardevoir. The Pokémon was struggling to get up, but as Kris tried to help her stand, she was suddenly pushed backwards by Gardevoir's psychic powers.

"Gardevoir!" Kris gasped, but went quiet after she saw Gardevoir glaring at her.

Meanwhile, Wes sent out his Espeon and Umbreon. Advising them to keep Latias busy and trying to utilize their speed instead of attacking directly, Wes then ran to Kris, who was pleading with her Gardevoir.

"Please!" she said, Gardevoir merely turning away, Kris seeing her bruises and wounds after Latias' attacks hit her. "I know I haven't exactly been the best trainer!" she admitted. "But this is more important! It's not just our lives in the balance here - if Latias gets the plates, there's no stopping her!"

But the way Gardevoir stared at the ground, it was as if Gardevoir didn't care what happened... or even _wanted_ Latias to win.

"What's going on?" Wes asked Kris. "You should run!"

"Hey, you're not allowed to start acting noble at this point!" Kris snapped. "You can't do anything to Latias! Gardevoir is our only chance of fighting back! Gardevoir, please! You've heard what Latias said: no Pokémon who has worked with humans will be spared! She'll kill Croc, Shrew, Chandelure - everyone! And you, too!"

Groaning impatiently, Wes glanced at Espeon and Umbreon. They were doing surprisingly well - that is to say, they were still on their feet, dodging Latias' hits and keeping it distracted.

"Gardevoir, I..." Kris turned away. "I'm sorry I screwed it up. Maybe it would have been better if you had stayed with Wally. You were probably expecting a strong, kind, capable trainer, but you got me. So here's the deal: if you just help us fight Latias... I'll let you go!"

Wes frowned at Kris, while Gardevoir turned to look at her curiously.

"But I wish you wouldn't!" Kris pleaded tearfully. "When you were a Ralts, you were so tiny and weak, but I watched you grow so quickly! You reached your final form in months, and you became much stronger than what I deserve. But we could still give it one more shot! We could keep on fighting bigger and bigger battles, help each other become stronger. With your help, we could save this world from Giratina! But if you really want to leave my team... I accept it."

Gardevoir stared at Kris for a while. Then, she did something unexpected: spreading her arms, Gardevoir rose into the air and started levitating. While floating mid-air, she closed her eyes and concentrated intensely, emitting a powerful white glow. Kris didn't realize what was happening until the white glow stopped and instead Gardevoir was surrounded by a multicolored ball of light, which kept growing until it exploded in a magnificent shower of colorful sparkles. Gardevoir emerged from the ball looking different than before: her long white gown was much wider, the spikes on her head were bigger and the red horn on her chest now split into two. Kris could almost _taste_ the power she emitted as she still floated in the air, her eyes continuing to glow brightly.

"How the..." Wes whispered as she stared at Gardevoir with his mouth open. "But you didn't even have..."

"I think I know," Kris muttered, equally stunned, "but I had no idea this could happen. Still... I think she finally listened. Wes?"

"Uh... oh, yeah, right! Espeon, Umbreon, dodge!"

"Gardevoir, Moonblast!"

Espeon and Umbreon retreated just in time for Mega Gardevoir to charge a pink energy sphere between her hands, launching it at Latias before the dragon-type even saw it coming. While Gardevoir's usual Moonblast was about the size of a basket ball, Mega Gardevoir's was at least twice as big, exploding as it hit Latias, causing her to scream in pain. Before Latias could retaliate, Gardevoir followed up with an attack on its own: Dazzling Gleam, which blinded Latias completely. As Latias flailed around blindly, Gardevoir flew to Espeon and Umbreon and easily picked both up under her arms. Kris and Wes ran behind one of the few pieces of cover in the area: behind a large rock only a few dozen meters away - not that hiding would probably help too long against a psychic-type Pokémon. Gardevoir followed suit, dropping Espeon and Umbreon into safety behind cover.

"That was amazing!" Kris praised Gardevoir. "You... okay, this is a dumb question, but... did you just Mega Evolve?!"

Gardevoir nodded gracefully, even showing Kris a small smile. Wes scratched his head.

"But... where's her Mega Stone?" he wondered.

"She doesn't need one... for now, at least," Kris explained. "I'd say within the next ten hours, she can easily pull that off again."

"Well, I'm not complaining," Wes remarked, peeking above the rock.

Latias was still flying blind, firing Mist Balls indiscriminately, destroying everything around her, but somehow she didn't know where they were.

"Even so, that did way more damage than I thought," Kris said. "Uh, no offense, Gardevoir, of course... I was just, um, surprised..."

"There's a reason for that!" Wes said quickly, as if he just remembered it. "Back at Silph Co, when we got the plate from Charon, Lance and his Dragonite fought Latias. She was definitely weaker than usual back then and Dragonite actually managed to hurt her a lot. She seems even weaker now..."

"She's not Mega Evolved, either, even though Iris and Cynthia said that happened in Canalave City..." Kris muttered.

" _MOONBLAST_!"

Kris ducked, but Latias was apparently still blinded, as the pink energy orb she fired missed them by a mile. Kris noticed that Latias' attack was even bigger than Gardevoir's, the sphere being almost as big as an average human.

If Gardevoir could also charge that much power...

"Wes!" Kris said suddenly. "What I'm about to ask you might sound insane... and it is, actually. It's incredibly dangerous, mostly to your Pokémon."

"What do you have in mind?" Wes asked cautiously.

"Latias will get her sight back soon, and we need someone to distract her," Kris said tensely. "If we can just keep her busy for a few minutes, I can have Gardevoir attack with all her might. Gardevoir, do you think you can charge up the biggest Moonblast anyone has ever seen? No pressure or anything."

But Mega Gardevoir nodded affirmatively. She spread her arms and started to gather pink energy between her hands, creating a normal-sized Moonblast which kept slowly growing. Wes nodded at Kris, then ordered Espeon and Umbreon to leap into action, telling Umbreon to blind Latias with Flash before she spotted Gardevoir.

As Wes and his Pokémon battled Latias with everything they had, Kris kept glancing between the battle and Gardevoir, whose charging seemed to take forever - ten seconds felt like an eternity to Kris at that moment. Not only did she worry about Latias realizing what Kris and Gardevoir were doing, but (and she was going to scold herself for being so soft on this) she was worried about what might happen to Wes. Even after Espeon and Umbreon both fired a barrage of Shadow Ball attacks, Latias only seemed inconvenienced, and responded by blasting them away with Dragon Pulse.

Wes didn't even see what hit his Pokémon before Latias dashed over to him and grabbed him in a hold by his neck, lifting him off his feet. Kris was about to jump into the fray, but Wes shook his head, making direct eye contact with Kris as he did so. Gardevoir's Moonblast was already so big that she had to hold it above her head - but Kris couldn't tell her to throw it with Wes in the way!

" _For such frail humans, you do keep popping up in my way_ ," Latias hissed as she held Wes in her grip. " _You were back there when I tried to kill Charon - you stopped me from doing it. You prevented me from getting my revenge - but at least you valiantly offered yourself in his place._ "

Latias opened her mouth and fired a small, short burst of Dragonbreath, singing Wes' clothes and making him scream in agony. Even from something like that, Kris was sure Wes would get second-degree burns.

" _See?! This something your Pokémon have to take every day_!" Latias taunted Wes. " _If you can't even take that, then you're useless to me. CRUSH GR-_ "

But Espeon had gotten on his feet again and used Flash to once again blind Latias while Umbreon pounced against Latias, hitting her hand, forcing her to let go of Wes. While Latias was blind and being hit by Espeon and Umbreon's attacks, Kris left her cover and ran to Latias, quickly grabbing Wes and half-dragging and half-carrying him away. As Latias was about to get her eyesight back, Espeon and Umbeon fired Shadow Ball again, hitting her in both eyes.

"Get out of there!" Kris yelled at Espeon and Umbreon as she ran, dragging Wes with her. "Gardevoir, throw it!"

Kris almost stopped in shock as she saw the size of the Moonblast: it was as big as a truck, making the air around it vibrate with its power. Mega Gardevoir nodded and hurled the Moonblast at Latias, who just opened her eyes to see the massive pink sphere of energy coming her way. That was all Kris saw before the Moonblast exploded, the force of the attack knocking her off her feet. She let go of Wes as she fell, her whole world nothing but pink light and the sound of Latias' screeching.

**~o~O~o~**

Meanwhile, back in Pallet Town, Iris was sitting on the grass near Daisy Oak's place, together with her Fraxure, Shrew and Croc, having let them out of their Poké Balls. She was waiting for Kris to return, having mysteriously vanished somewhere with Wes after saying she had something important to do. Before she could run any scenarios in her mind about what they were doing (and feel embarrassed she was thinking about stuff like that) she was distracted by the sudden explosion and pink flash of light coming from the fields to the west.

Shrew noticed them, too, getting up on two feet and sniffing the air as it heard the explosion. Then, it suddenly started running towards the fields.

"Hey, wait up!" Iris yelled at the Pokémon. "Fraxure, Croc, come on, we need to go see what's up!"

**~o~O~o~**

When Kris was able to see again, she felt being pulled on her feet by Wes. He was sweaty all over, his clothes covered in dirt, and Kris doubted she looked any better. Without saying a word, both turned to look at the giant crater in the middle of the field, Latias laying at the bottom of it. She was still alive after taking the Moonblast, though bleeding from her mouth, eyes and multiple wounds around her body, barely able to move. Kris and Wes approached her hesitantly, though Kris felt better as she saw Mega Gardevoir floating by her side, seemingly not exhausted at all after throwing the Moonblast.

" _You_..." Latias groaned as she struggled to move. " _You pathetic humans... I must have those plates..._ "

"Give up," Kris taunted her, her voice cracking out of exhaustion. "It's plain to see that Gardevoir still has enough energy to make another one of those. I doubt you'll survive that in your current condition."

" _Why_..." Latias grunted. " _I've absorbed so many... why am I so weak? I can't even Mega Evolve anymore. And a pathetic toady for humans can do it without any effort?! It's... damn it_!"

As Latias screeched again, Gardevoir quickly made a shield around her, Kris and Wes, but instead of attacking, Latias used all of her energy to dash into the sky, fleeing the battlefield.

For the first time since Hoenn, Latias had lost.

Gardevoir let her arms drop, turning normal in another colorful burst of light. Kris smiled at her gratefully.

"That was amazing," she told the Pokémon. "You saved our lives right there. You probably helped save _everyone_ by making sure these plates are safe. But you can still-"

"Funny you should mention those plates!"

Kris, Wes and Gardevoir turned to see Cheren finally picking himself up. Like Kris and Wes, he was covered in dirt, his hair was messy and one of the lenses of his glasses had come off, though he still tried to adjust his tie and dust himself off, pretending like nothing had happened.

"The power of Mega Evolution never ceases to stagger me," Cheren said curiously as he observed Gardevoir. "I've seen them in many tournaments, but _never_ up this close. And that was an excellent strategy, Kris. Someone as smart as you can surely see the benefit of handing me the-"

"Oh my Arceus, are you never giving up?!" Kris groaned. "Mega Evolved or not, Gardevoir can tear you to pieces with her mind. Just go home."

Cheren squinted, but didn't allow himself to look annoyed.

"Wes!" he snapped. "If you know what's good for you, help me take the plates from her!"

Wes just folded his arms and glared at Cheren, spitting on the ground in contempt. Cheren's patience was dwindling and he could no longer keep up his cool facade.

"I gave you an order, Wes!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm warning you! I just need to make one phone call and it's going to be a sad day in Orre as an unfortunate accident befalls their regional professor and her daughter!"

Wes grimaced, but Kris put her hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"He's bluffing," she told Wes. "Cheren!" she yelled. "If you're really so powerful, why do you keep making idle threats? Why come here alone? Why not hire a bunch of thugs to take the plates from me?"

Cheren glared at Kris. "Don't assume you know anything about the inner workings of-"

"Yeah, I don't, but even I know that you're not a part of those workings. You're just some pathetic wannabe, desperately trying to climb the ladder by any means necessary. You're scum."

Cheren bit his lip, desperately looking at Wes for support, but when Wes did nothing, he pulled out a gun, surprising even Kris as he pointed it at her. But Gardevoir reacted immediately, using Psychic to yank the gun off Cheren's hand, disassembling it in the air and turning it into a pile of scrap in seconds.

Seeing this, Cheren finally dropped his pretense and ran away like a coward. Kris didn't feel right seeing him loose, but doubted he could be much of a threat anyway. Wes seemed to be convinced of this as well, as he slumped on the ground in exhaustion, Kris picking him up just before his head hit the ground.

Fortunately, Kris didn't have to carry Wes all the way back to Pallet Town, as she was suddenly greeted by Shrew, who ran to the field, jumping into Kris' lap and licking her face all over, as if they hadn't seen in weeks. Croc soon arrived as well, and Kris asked it nicely to carry Wes back to Pallet. Though Croc was initially grumpy about it, Kris assured it that it wouldn't have to hold back in its next match.

Because Kris knew that their next enemy would be none other than Cyrus.

**~o~O~o~**

Having listened to Kris and Wes' story about what happened, Iris paced back and forth impatiently while Kris sat on the grass, downing bottles of water, Lunick cleaning the wounds on her leg that the constant falling had caused her.

"I can't believe it!" Iris huffed as she paced around. "Gardevoir! Mega Evolved! And I wasn't there to see it!"

"I didn't get to see Darkrai and Latias fight, so we're even," Kris muttered in exhaustion as she finished her bottle. "Ow! That stings!"

"Apologies," Lunick said with a smile as he finished disinfecting a big bleeding scrape on Kris' knee. "It seems medicine has gone ahead in leaps since my time. I might be a little rough."

Bearing the pain, Kris lifted her head to see May and Brendan approaching, still holding hands and muttering intensely to each other, May looking like she was winning whatever argument they were having.

"What's up?" Iris asked them.

"Oh, hi, guys," May greeted, squeezing Brendan's hand painfully. "Brendan has something to tell you! C'mon!" she added and pushed Brendan forward.

"Um..." Brendan started awkwardly. "May wanted me to tell - that is, _we_ wanted to tell you that, well, since the human race might become prey for otherwordly beasts if things go wrong-"

"That's not the only reason!" May cut in. "Though I guess it is the biggest one..."

"Yeah, well, because this might be our last chance in a while," Brendan said, "May and I... planned to get engaged."

Iris squeed. "Congratulations!" she yelled and rushed to grab both May and Brendan in a hug. "I knew this would happen sooner or later."

"Uh, yes, congratulations," Lunick said hesitantly, "say, what is the minimum age of marriage nowadays?"

"Yeah, we're not old enough yet," May said, "and we're just planning it now, but as soon as we're of age.. well, all of you will definitely be invited to celebrate it with us!"

Kris wasn't sure what to say, so she just said a quiet "congratulations", which still seemed to please May and Brendan. May then dragged Brendan to tell the news to Dawn, Lucas and Barry, leaving a very excited Iris to spin around babbling.

"I always knew this would happen!" she beamed. "Those two are _so_ cute together! Aren't you just so happy for them, Kris?"

"Sure I am," Kris said as she struggled to get up, Lunick immediately hurrying to help her. "But like Lunick said, they're still really young. And it seems they're motivated by fear and their current emotions rather than any long-term planning... nothing good comes from rushing things like that. Not that I'd really know..."

Iris shook her head. "Always so cynical," she said. "I'm sure they'll be fine."

"I hope so," Kris said.

Wes was also laying on the grass, insisting on cleaning his own wounds and not interacting with the others. Kris hadn't told anyone else about Wes' betrayal, and was sure he felt bad enough, but she still hadn't forgiven him. Even if he was threatened, he should have told Kris what was going on. She could have helped, at least.

Kris' thoughts were interrupted as Elder Li approached her, his posse of LPS members following suit. It felt odd seeing Champions, Elite Four members, gym leaders and whatever Eusine was acting so humble around this guy, though Eusine looked more exasperated than anything.

"Kris, we have an update for you," Li said. "I have to return to Ecruteak City to monitor the situation, but Cynthia and Lance have agreed to go and find the two missing plates immediately - we believe we have found a lead. The rest of you will go and use the plates of origin. There's a problem, however."

"Oh boy," Kris muttered.

"Brother Bill has informed us of a possible dimensional distortion between Kanto and Fiore. It is the biggest we've seen so far, but not big enough to have been created for Giratina, and so far nothing has come through. The Wise Trio knows of ways to close this portal before it gets too big and some LPS members will accompany them. The problem is, in order to use the plates of origin, we must travel to Sinnoh, back to the Spear Pillar."

Kris gave it some thought, but the answer came to her surprisingly quickly. "Cyrus can create small portals, right?" she said. "He could have stopped us at any time, but hasn't. Either he's extremely confident in his plan, or..."

Iris gasped. "...he might want the plates, too, and wants us to gather them for him!" she theorized. "So, this portal between Kanto and Fiore could be just a way to divide our forces, some kind of distraction, or an ambush!"

"Well deduced," Li said. "Even if you're not members, you two have definitely potential, and have been very helpful to us."

 _Eat **** you old **** and go **** *** ***** ******,_ Kris thought.

"Thanks," she said tensely.

"In that case, I will send Lady Caitlin and Ms. Karen to accompany the Wise Trio, but they could still use reinforcements, just in case. Perhaps some of your friends...? Whoever you send will most likely be a lot safer than those going to Mt. Coronet."

And just as Kris thought about it, May and Brendan showed up, having told about their engagements plans to pretty much everyone, having heard what Li had said. Kris gave them a meaningful look.

"What?!" May yelled. "No! We want to help you, Kris!"

"Well," Brendan said uncertainly, "if it's less dangerous than the alternative..."

"We _want_ to help you!" May stressed.

"You'll be helping me by going there," Kris said firmly. "And when you come back, it's time to start planning that wedding, right?"

May and Brendan still didn't look sure, but Kris was already addressing someone else.

"How about it?" she asked Lunick. "This could be your chance. You told me that there's a small chance you can return to your own time if you go and look into this distortion thing. Like, it's the universe putting itself right or whatever."

Lunick looked stunned. "Not a chance, Kris!" he protested. "The whole reason I came here was to help you out! To help fight these villains collaborating with the Distortion World's beast, and be by your side doing so!"

"If you really want to help me that much, then protect my friends," Kris said firmly. "Listen, if there's a chance you can return, I want you to forget about me and do whatever you can to get back to your own time. Don't you want to?"

"Y... yeah," Lunick admitted. "More than anything else. But-"

"Then no buts. Get out there."

Lunick bit his lip. "But... what if I _can't_ get back to my time? Will we ever see each other again?"

Kris smiled. "Absolutely. And either way, I won't forget you."

With that, Kris and Lunick parted ways as Lunick, May and Brendan joined the group heading to the portal spotted northeast of Kanto. Cynthia hopped on her Togekiss and Lance on his Dragonite, the two flying to places unknown, promising to head to Mt. Coronet immediately after getting the last missing plates. And Elder Li's helicopter soon returned, taking him back to Ecruteak City.

Wallace was left in command, and as soon as Li's chopper was gone, he addressed everyone with surprising seriousness:

"All right, everyone, this is what the rest of us will do!" he said authoritatively. "Me, Steven, Morty and Eusine will call Bill's friend Celio and have him arrange a boat for us. We'll head to Sinnoh through the sea route and get to Mt. Coronet from the southern peaks. With our flying-type Pokémon, all of us should be able to get to the Spear Pillar without having to use the tunnels, as I'm sure Cyrus will try to interfere. Kris, you will be in charge of your friends - we don't have time to babysit when we're in the thick of it. Choose who you'll take with us and say something to them if you want."

As the remaining LPS members left, Kris turned to look at her remaining "troops": Iris, Dawn, Lucas, Barry, Jupiter, Mars... and Wes, who looked like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to be there or not.

"Okay, everyone, time to choose," Kris told them. "I've been entrusted with the plates, so I will go anyway, but you can choose. Our job is to help the Legendary Pokémon Society take these plates to Mt. Coronet to... do something, I dunno, but it will stop Cyrus and Giratina. Yeah, I know this sounds pretty unbelievable, but we've all seen what they can do, and we can trust the Legendary Pokémon Society. So which of you wants to come with me? Iris?"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Iris asked cheekily. "You wouldn't be here if I hadn't helped you get this far."

"True," Kris admitted. "What about you two?" she asked Mars and Jupiter suspiciously. "You said you wanted to help, but so far you've just been sitting at some dig site with your thumbs up your-"

Iris coughed.

"Which we appreciate, of course," Kris amended. "But if you really want to do something, now's your chance."

"We're going!" Mars said eagerly. "This is our chance to atone for our sins, right our wrongs, sweep our pasts under the rug and start anew!"

"Uh... what she said, sure," Jupiter said.

"And you three?" Kris asked Dawn, Lucas and Barry. "Sinnoh is going to be right in the middle of this crisis."

"I'll go, anyway!" Dawn said enthusiastically. "I want to see what these plates do! Something with enough power to beat that Giratina thing must be awesome!"

Lucas glanced at Dawn, then looked at Kris with determination. "I'll go, too. We're with you, Kris!"

Barry didn't respond until Kris shot a meaningful look his way.

"Of course I'll go!" he said defensively. "With me there, you'll actually stand a chance!"

"All right, so you'll be going with me," Kris said. "Finally... Wes?"

Wes, who had barely been following the conversation up until now, lifted his head curiously, looking like he wasn't sure if he heard right.

"Will you come with us?" Kris asked him.

"...definitely," he said quietly. "I won't fail you again."

Only Kris knew what Wes meant by 'again', and she wasn't all too convinced, but during the fight with Latias, Wes had earned himself a chance. _One_ more chance. There would be no room for any errors, as in just a couple of hours, the gang would take the fight to Cyrus... and the thing he was serving.


	23. Attack on Mt. Coronet, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The LPS and Kris' friends prepare to head for Mt. Coronet in their quest to stop Cyrus from unleashing Giratina.

The boat Celio had arranged turned out to be Mr. Briney's, with the man himself taking time off from his duties with the S.S. Tidal to deliver the group to Sinnoh. As the LPS members were making last-minute arrangements to depart, the others were chatting excitedly, with none of the tension Kris had assumed to be a usual part of going to defy ancient demon Gods or whatever it was they were doing.

Kris herself was tense, as though Wallace had given her permission to finally open the handcuffs, she still had to carry the case containing the fifteen plates wherever she went. Though at least she was excused of carrying some heavy-looking crates into the ship, Jupiter and Mars struggling with a particularly large one that looked like it could comfortably fit a person inside.

To pass the time, Kris took a walk around Pallet Town. In a town this size, it only took a few minutes to take the tour, Kris stopping in front of a two-story house along a quiet trail, slightly away from the rest of the town, surrounded by beautiful gardens. Oak's place was not far away, and this particular house could be seen from their window, though Kris hadn't actually been this close. A part of her wanted to knock on the door and try to get in, but what was she going to tell his mom? _'_ _Hi, you don't know me, but I'm a huge fan of your son's, may I come in and mess with his belongings and smell his underwear_ _?'._ _Sheesh_ _._

But someone else was also watching the house from a distance, looking so entranced by it that they didn't even notice Kris, who recognized the big straw hat and blonde hair.

"Yellow!" Kris shouted as she ran to them. "You came here after all! You should have seen my battle with Elder Li, I _destroyed_ him! I mean, I lost... but I still _destroyed_! And it's thanks to your powers that we got out of a huge scrape there! I'm sure you saw the huge pink flash of light earlier - that was Gardevoir! Thank you!"

Yellow took their time observing the house quietly before answering. "You're welcome," Yellow said serenely, staring at the house.

"Why not come say hello to everyone?" Kris suggested. "Wes will probably want to... well, uh..."

"I know about Wes' double-dealing," Yellow said.

Kris stared at her.

"No, I still can't read minds," Yellow said with a smile. "It's been obvious for a long time. He's not very subtle. And I put two and two together when Cheren came to see me in Sinnoh."

Kris frowned. "Really? Why?"

"His intent was pretty clear, even if he tried to make it sound better than it was. He wanted to know Red's location, and implied that if I refuse, _they_ will divert all available resources to hunting me down instead. Because of that, I don't want to show myself around Champions, Elite Four members and such."

"Hey, the LPS folks are good people!" Kris said. "Well, except that jerk Li, maybe..."

"I'm sure they are, but they still have connections to the Pokémon League, and I don't want to take any chances," Yellow explained patiently. "That said..."

Yellow looked at Kris, a grim expression on their face.

"You have to find him," Yellow said. "You're going to Mt. Coronet soon, right? Don't ask me how I know, just listen," Yellow said as Kris was about to interrupt. "Like I told you before, Cyrus' promised day _will_ happen soon, and it will take place there. That is the only reason Red could come out of hiding. And when you find him, tell him to return to Pallet Town, but also to _be careful_ _._ Cheren's visit made it clear that people are still after him."

"Is it because the information he uncovered?" Kris asked. "If so, I'm sure he's fine. He's just hiding to protect people close to him, like you. As long as nobody knows where he is, no one can be taken hostage or threatened to bring him out, right?"

"You are correct," Yellow said. "But I... we still need him. And we need the information he has. It's high time we stop sitting on what we know and make a move to change this world for the better."

"Yeah, I'll do my best," Kris sighed - wasn't she under enough pressure already? "Still," she said, "it was good to finally meet you. There's so much I still want to ask you about, like about this weird prophecy thing and everything..."

"We'll definitely meet again," Yellow assured. "For now, you have more important things to do."

**~o~O~o~**

__**Location: Sea, between Kanto and Sinnoh** _ _

__**Hours later...** _ _

_"_ _Kris' journal... can't remember how many days anymore._

_This might be the last entry I'll make in this diary. Not that I think it will be, but you never know. There was definitely a melancholy feeling when we said goodbye to professor Elm and Blaine when leaving Pallet Town. Blaine said we might receive some help, though, and then acted all mysterious and didn't answer when I asked him about it._

_Should someone find this journal, I want to be played by Lovrina in the movie they make about my adventures. And it's gotta be epic. And no romantic subplot garbage! Unless it's with... well I'm not gonna write THAT in here. Also, find Red, get the data he's carrying, use it to save the world or some stuff, I dunno._

_This is Kris, signing off._ _"_

The trip to Sinnoh went surprisingly smoothly. After a few hours of sailing, the southern peaks of Mt. Coronet and the coastline of Sinnoh were already visible in the horizon. Even now, spirits were high. Wallace and the other LPS members were with , in another negotiation involving top-secret whatever stuff - Kris noticed Eusine was sidelined during those. Iris, Wes, Dawn, Lucas and Barry hung on the deck. Kris didn't have the heart to tell Iris about what Wes had done, even if it would probably be what he deserved.

Kris herself sat below deck, watching Shrew play around Peeko, Mr. Briney's Wingull, the two chasing each other around, Peeko swooping close and then flying away just as Shrew was about to catch it. She didn't really feel like talking with the others now. She still clutched on to the case of plates like it was a security blanket, though with the way she was gazing into the distance, it would be easy to yank it off her now.

Not only was Yellow's request plaguing her mind, she also was a nervous wreck over what would happen when she _did_ meet Red - which, if you believed Yellow, was not even up for debate. It _would_ happen. But what would she say to him? He was only considered one of the best trainers in the world and he wasn't even that much older than Kris.

And then there was this whole prophecy thing. Could she become the new Red? A legendary Pokémon trainer whose exploits are almost too unbelievable to be true? And was that even as good as it sounded? Sure, that's what Kris had wanted since she was 10... but with everything that happened to Red, it sounded like it was more trouble than it was worth.

And, of course, it's not like Kris believed _that_ much in destiny and ancient prophecies and the like. The little skeptic at the back of her head kept telling her to stop dreaming and just get a grip, maybe go into university, get a normal job...

Kris shuddered at the thought.

Her musings were interrupted by Steven Stone arriving below deck, which surprised Kris. He wasn't acting serious or grumpy either, but greeted Kris warmly with a smile and a wave.

"What are you doing down here, Kris?" he asked. "We'll be arriving soon."

"Yeah, thanks," Kris sighed and got up, cracking her back as she stood straight - or as straight as she could with her posture. "I'm just... thinking."

Steven nodded in understanding. "I wanted to tell you that I thought the battle between you and Li was spectacular! I'm not sure if I could have even lasted as long as he did when your Pokémon had that kind of power."

Kris decided not to mention Yellow's power-up.

"Thanks," she said as modestly as she could. "Still didn't land me that membership, though..."

"Kris, if it had been up to me, I would have taken you in," Steven said sincerely, causing Kris to jerk her head in his direction so quickly it hurt. " _But_ ," he said quickly, "I still respect the Elder and defer to his judgment - and I don't have the power to accept you as a member anyway. And considering how far you've taken this, as serious as you are about it, you're already skilled enough to go and do something better. I think I did warn you about joining back when we met."

"You might be right," Kris said, mostly referring to Steven's praise of her.

"Yeah, if you only just work on your emotional maturity and temperament, maybe you-"

" _Wait, WHA-_ well, you do have a point, I guess. You know, I-"

" _AHOY EVERYONE!_ " Mr. Briney yelled from above deck. "A few minutes left before we reach port!"

Kris and Steven climbed back on deck, joining Iris, Wes, Dawn, Lucas, Barry, Jupiter and Mars as they gazed over the boat's edge at the Sinnoh coastline. Kris noticed that Wallace's Milotic, a large, graceful serpentine Pokémon with a cream-colored body and long, pink antennae. Occasionally, it submerged and seemed to swim around below the ship. As it did it again, though, the Milotic didn't re-emerge by the ship, but instead appeared on the other side, making a long, wailing sound at Wallace, who ran away from Briney's side and to the port side of the ship, staring at the water with a panicky expression.

"There's a leak!" Wallace yelled at Briney. "We're slowly sinking!"

Panic immediately spread throughout the ranks, Barry trying to think of someone to accuse of while Jupiter almost jumped out of the boat but was stopped just in time by Mars. Iris rushed to the edge of the boat and leaned over it, getting her face as close to the water as possible, gasping at what she saw.

"There's a _huge_ swarm of Tentacool swimming by the ship!" she yelled. "Hundreds of them!"

"Makes sense," Wallace grunted, quickly stroking his chin in thought. "Hundreds of them in one place could gather enough poison to create small holes in the hull... but why would they-"

Wallace's question was answered when three large Pokémon suddenly emerged from the water ahead of them, blocking their way: three Tentacruel, surrounded by dozens of Tentacool. And strangely, all of they had glowing red eyes and a red aura surrounding them. Briney stopped the boat and dropped the anchors at Wallace's request while at the same time, blue electrical sparks appeared above the head of one Tentacruel. From the middle of the sparks, a dark purple vortex appeared, and from it, emerged a man with cold blue eyes and blue, spiky hair.

Everyone just stared for a while as Cyrus emerged, standing on top of the Tentacruel, holding his Red Chain like a scepter. Kris hadn't seen him since he vanished into the portal, but the time spent in the Distortion World hadn't treated him well: he looked more exhausted than ever, his skin having a grayish tint to it and the dark circles around his eyes could be seen from afar.

"I congratulate you on making it this far!" Cyrus boomed. "But now that you have collected the plates of origin, there's no reason to keep you alive. Once you hit the water, you will know what the poison of a thousand Tentacool feels like! Farewell!"

While everyone else stared as Cyrus seemingly used his Red Chain to order two of the Tentacruel and a massive horde of Tentacool to move forward, Wallace turned his back at Cyrus and addressed everyone else:

"Mr. Briney, we thank you for your services, but they won't be needed anymore!" he announced. "Send us the bill for the boat. Eusine, use your Alakazam and get Mr. Briney out of here!"

"But," Eusine protested, "I want to fight with-"

"Eusine," Morty said, shaking his head slightly.

Eusine sighed, but didn't need any more convincing. He pulled out a Poké Ball, summoned his Alakazam, and in a flash of light, he, Alakazam, Mr. Briney and Peeko were gone. In the meantime, Wallace gave orders to the others.

"Steven, Morty, make sure the rest get to the Spear Pillar!" he said. "I'll hold off Cyrus. Milotic, Light Screen!"

A multicolored, translucent sphere of energy appeared around the ship just as the approaching Tentacruel began spraying acid. This allowed Wallace to summon his Blastoise. Kris really wanted to see him fight, but Steven and Morty began pushing everyone closer to the edge, Steven sending out his Skarmory and jumping on its back, Morty climbing behind him.

"Everyone, send out a water- or flying-type Pokémon capable of carrying you!" Steven instructed. "Follow me and head straight to Mt. Coronet! There should be an entrance to the tunnels in the southernmost mountain!"

Indeed, the southern parts of the Mt. Coronet mountain range were visible, with one mountain in particular sticking out as being abnormally high for being so close to the shore.

"What about Wallace?!" Kris shouted at Steven over the noise of everyone frantically opening their Poké Balls.

Steven had a pained look on his face. He made one last glance at Wallace, whose Blastoise had Mega Evolved, and together with Wallace's Tentacruel, the two Pokémon fought Cyrus' swarm of Tentacool and Tentacruel furiously.

"We have to believe in him," Steven said quietly. "Get moving!"

Barry had already hopped on his Floatzel and rushed ahead without having to be told – he didn't even want to wait for Steven, who, along with Morty, went after him. Iris hopped on her Dragalge, Dawn relied on her Empoleon while Lucas flew on his Staraptor. Kris, having made sure Shrew was back in its ball, was about to send Croc out when she realized Jupiter and Mars were just staring blankly.

"What?!" Kris shouted at them.

"It didn't occur to you or any of your friends that _we don't have water-types_?!" Jupiter yelled back. "I mean, we could have fit on any of the other ones, but _noooo_ , you 'heroes' just rush on ahead without any regard for anyone else-"

"Um, Jupiter," Mars interrupted.

Wallace's Milotic had swam besides the sinking ship, looking straight at Jupiter and Mars while gesturing at its back.

"Well," Jupiter muttered, "that solves it, I guess..."

Kris rolled her eyes and hopped on Croc's back, then told it to get a move on to catch up with the others while Jupiter and Mars followed on Wallace's Milotic, who dutifully followed its masters orders.

The group traveled in silence for several minutes, steadily approaching the mountains, Kris doing her best not to look back until she heard more loud electric crackles, followed by a deafening, ear-splitting roar. At that point, everyone turned.

Cyrus had left the battle with Wallace, his swarm of Tentacool and Tentacruel apparently defeated, and had emerged on top of a more powerful opponent: the massive, bipedal light purple dragon Pokémon with a long neck and tail – Palkia. Cyrus stood on top of its head, the Red Chain glowing brightly in his hand and Palkia utterly under his control. Seeing Palkia, Steven cursed to himself.

"New plan!" he yelled, distracting everyone from Palkia's sudden appearance. "Wallace needs our help! Kris, you want to know what it's like to be in our group? Now's your chance! Make sure you get to the Spear Pillar! Do not lose the plates!"

Kris tried to protest. "But-"

"I'll make sure you get the map!" Steven yelled. "Morty?!"

"Done!" Morty yelled from behind him, fiddling with his PokéGear. "Kris, I sent the best available map of the Mt. Coronet tunnels to you! Just follow the path! Good luck!"

"I don't even-"

"Let's go, Morty!" Steven yelled and patted the head of his Skarmory. "Skarmory, let's get back to the fight!"

Kris' complaints weren't heard. Steven and Morty turned Skarmory around and headed towards Palkia, who seemed to be trying to pick Wallace and his Pokémon off. Kris was now painfully aware that everyone was staring at her, Lucas from the air and everyone else on their swimming Pokémon.

"You heard him!" Kris announced, her voice cracking a bit. "Forward!"

This finally made the group of eight trainers to go forward, and towards the caverns of Mt. Coronet.

Meanwhile, back in the sinking ship, the large crate opened as a man popped out of it, arms spread and a huge grin on his face.

"Ladies, gentlemen and everyone else!" Missile announced, oblivious to his surroundings. "Save your gasps of awe for later, for I will be having the plates n-"

Missile didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as the sinking boat dragged him underwater.

**~o~O~o~**

_**Later…** _

Kris was leading Iris, Wes, Dawn, Lucas, Barry, Jupiter and Mars through the complex tunnels of Mt. Coronet. Kris kept her eyes firmly on her PokéGear, the correct route to Spear Pillar marked on her map. Despite this, she was too nervous to talk – one wrong turn, and… she didn't want to think about what would happen. She wasn't even sure what was _going_ to happen. But with Steven's words ringing in her head and the stares of her compatriots burning in her neck, Kris pushed through.

Until she came to a larger, more open cavern with tunnels leading to every direction, and the map program in her PokéGear suddenly went blank.

" _Calculating route..._ " the friendly voice of the GPS informed.

"I miss SkrillDex," Kris sighed. "I don't have time for this!"

"Anyone else hear that?" Wes whispered sharply.

Everyone fell silent. Kris couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary, just the sounds of breathing from everyone who had squeezed together and the sound of the wind rushing through the tunnels. And all she could see was rock. She was about to turn to reprimand Wes for distracting her, when…

" _Uuuuuunoooooown._.. _"_

"It's them!" Iris gasped. "What now?!"

"Calm down," Kris hissed. "They can't do anything to us!"

"One or two of them probably can't," Jupiter remarked grimly. "But enough of them gathered in one spot could be a serious cause of concern..."

"And they can create a barrier that prevents us from going forward," Wes muttered.

" _Turn – left – now_ ," the GPS informed Kris.

"Right, forward, my band of cowards!" Kris said with as much confidence as she could muster. "Follow my lead!"

Kris headed towards the tunnel to her left – and as soon as she was about to enter it, she saw a flash of light and felt a powerful force push her on her back. The jolt itself wasn't painful – hitting her butt on a rock was. Iris and Wes hurried to pick her up.

"Okay, well," Kris muttered. "At least now we know that's the one. They wouldn't bother to block the path otherwise."

"The Unown shield isn't unbreakable," Wes said. "I've seen this before at Navel Rock. We just need to attack it with enough force and-"

"Did somebody say force?!" Barry yelled suddenly, opening his mouth for the first time in hours.

Everyone turned to look as Barry opened one of his Poké Balls, sending out his Infernape. He then impatiently gestured at everyone to stand back as he cleared his throat.

"All right, Infernape, my old buddy!" Barry exclaimed confidently. "Blast _that_ tunnel there with Flamethrower!"

Everyone took a few steps back as Infernape's powerful attack hit the invisible barrier at the tunnel's entrance. At first, the flames just bounced off it like there was an invisible stone wall blocking the path.

"Don't worry, Infernape!" Barry encouraged. "Keep up the pressure for a bit longer! Now Flamethrower again!"

Infernape obeyed, and this time kept blasting the entrance with Flamethrower, beads of sweat dropping down the Pokémon's face as it fired with everything it had. After a _long_ ten seconds of concentrated fire, the shield gave in, and Barry yelled at Infernape to stop, who did so gladly, panting and coughing.

Nobody dared to rush in, though, and Kris tested the tunnel first by grabbing a rock from the ground and holding it at the entrance of the tunnel. It seemed like the shield was gone – but only for a few seconds, as it soon re-emerged, and the rock shot off Kris' hand after another spark and a flash of bright white light.

"I _knew_ that was gonna happen!" Barry said and grabbed Lucas by the shoulder. "That's why I need you to help, buddy! Your Probopass and my Infernape need to blast that thing with all their might and keep up the pressure while the others go through!"

"Um, Barry," Lucas muttered. "You weren't here last time! You haven't seen… or heard… what those things are capable of..."

"That's right!" Barry said excitedly. "I wasn't here last time! And I'm suh… I'm s-suh…"

"Sorry?" Dawn asked incredulously.

"Well, I wish I had joined you back then," Barry grumbled.

"Yeah, that's really nice of you, kid," Jupiter said, her voice oozing with sarcasm, "but how do you expect us to go through the tunnel while it's being blasted with a flamethrower?"

Barry's mouth opened a bit. "Well, um, that's," he stuttered. "That's… you see… shut up! It's your fault we're here anyway! You and your stupid boss!"

"Leave her alone!" Mars yelled at Barry. "We're not working for Cyrus anymore! He just tried to kill us!"

"I got it!" Dawn yelled suddenly.

Everyone turned to look at her. Despite the situation they were in, Dawn looked excited and almost Barry-like as she couldn't wait to say her piece.

"Kris, you have a Gardevoir, right?!" she said. "It's pretty strong, yeah?"

"Oh yeah," Kris said, exchanging a glance with Wes. "You could say that."

"Well, particularly strong psychic-types can put up a barrier that will protect from almost everything, at least for a short amount of time. I think a standard Light Screen will work here if your Gardevoir can keep it up for just a few seconds under heavy fire."

"What do you suggest we do?" Kris wondered.

"Lucas and Barry will have their Pokémon shoot powerful special attacks at the tunnel, forcing the barrier to open," Dawn explained. "As soon as it opens, Gardevoir surrounds the rest of us with the strongest Light Screen it can pull off, then we walk through the tunnel! Simple! If your Gardevoir can do it, at least."

"Oh, wow, I'm digging this plan!" Jupiter snarked, throwing her hands in the air. "The only risk is that we get burned to death! No biggie!"

"Come on, don't knock the plan!" Mars said and jabbed Jupiter with her elbow. "It's all we got now! You want to come with me or not?"

"...fine," Jupiter sighed.

"I'm not too sure," Kris said quietly – the whole plan was hinging on her Gardevoir's ability, and even if Kris believed she could do it, she wasn't sure if Gardevoir still trusted her enough. If not… no one here would make it to the Spear Pillar.

Kris looked at Iris for support. "Do you think it will work?" she asked her.

"Of course!" Iris said cheerfully. "You and Gardevoir have come a long way together! And I want to see that power she used against Latias!"

"Here goes, then..."

Kris opened Gardevoir's Poké Ball. Unlike the few previous times when she had summoned the psychic-type, Gardevoir looked outright pleased to be out, smiling at Kris serenely.

"Gardevoir, I'm asking you to do something pretty dangerous," Kris said. "You're the only one here who can do it. It involves… going mega again. Are you ready?"

Gardevoir nodded eagerly, closed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. Everyone besides Kris and Wes looked stunned as a colorful sphere of light surrounded Gardevoir, and in a flash, she had Mega Evolved. Everyone immediately started babbling in awe, wondering how Kris could do it without a key stone or a Mega Stone.

"Later, later!" Kris yelled at them. "Lucas, Barry, you ready for this? I know this is asking a lot..."

"Hah, no problem!" Barry exclaimed. "We'll find some other path to the Spear Pillar! Just save a bit of Cyrus for us, huh?"

"Thanks," Kris sighed.

"Be careful," Lucas told everyone, though he was looking at Dawn.

Dawn smiled back at him. "Don't worry, I'll keep these guys out of trouble."

"Okay, everyone else, get close to me!" Kris said quickly. "Gardevoir, you ready? Use Light Screen and make sure to keep it up to protect us as long as you can!"

Mega Gardevoir put up a powerful, translucent energy shield around her, Kris, Iris, Wes, Dawn, Jupiter and Mars, who stood as close together as they could. Kris nodded at Lucas and Barry, the former letting his Probopass out of its Poké Ball.

"Flash Cannon!" Lucas ordered, pointing at the tunnel.

Probopass blasted at the entrance of the tunnel with a silver-colored beam of energy. As Lucas yelled at Probopass to keep up the pressure, Probopass squeezed a bit more energy out of itself, until the beam finally pierced the shield.

"Good, now it's my turn!" Barry said. "Infernape, one more time – Flamethrower!"

To make sure the shield couldn't regenerate, Barry's Infernape blasted the tunnel with its flamethrower attack, filling the tunnel with fire. Kris signaled the others, and together with Gardevoir, everyone still protected by the bubble around them, the group ran into the tunnel, seeing nothing but fire around them. But they could barely even feel the heat, as the translucent barrier shielded them from it all. Gardevoir was still struggling and sweating, even for the few seconds it took for the group to get into the tunnel.

"We're in!" Kris yelled once everyone made it through.

Barry's Infernape stopped, and Barry withdrew it before it passed out from exhaustion. Giving the others a thumbs up, Lucas and Barry started looking for an alternative path while the others carried on.

Kris, Iris, Wes, Dawn, Jupiter and Mars continued walking endlessly, Kris trying her best to ignore her aching legs and the immeasurable amount of blisters on her feet. Though they kept ascending and going forward, there was no end in sight for the complex tunnels. Kris hoped the map Morty had given her was at least somewhat accurate, because getting lost in these tunnels forever was not a hard thing to do.

Finally, after what it seemed like an hour of non-stop walking, the group stopped to take a break. They couldn't catch their breath for more than a few minutes, though, as they soon heard growling from close by.

Kris reacted immediately by sending Chandelure out to support Mega Gardevoir, who still hadn't returned to her usual form – which Kris was thankful for, hoping that Gardevoir would save her strength in case Cyrus had any more surprises like Palkia in store. The others reacted with a bit of a delay, Iris sending out Fraxure, Wes sending out Umbreon and Jupiter and Mars sending out their Skuntank and Purugly.

Dawn was more focused on locating the sound of the growling.

"Over there!" she suddenly yelled, pointing at a dark corner in the cave they had stopped in.

Several pairs of bright red eyes were glowing in the darkness, slowly getting larger as Pokémon crept towards the group from every direction: a Weavile, a Crobat and a Honchkrow, all with their eyes glowing bright red.

"It's the same shade as the Red Chain," Dawn said quietly, sounding curious rather than frightened. "Is Cyrus controlling these, too?"

"That can't be right," Mars muttered, Purugly standing in front of her and hissing at the approaching Pokémon. "These are master Cyrus' Pokémon… I've taken care of them many times. Why would he need to do this…?"

"I don't know, but they're not here to bake us a cake, Mars," Jupiter said tensely. "We're in for a fight, and I don't know if we can win it."

"Oh, whatever!" Kris said, rolling her eyes, having expected something way worse. "There's more of us, we can't-"

But Kris was drowned out by the sound of a large serpentine Pokémon crashing into the tunnel – a Gyarados, with eyes glowing just like the others. Gyarados was already gathering yellow energy in its mouth, about to fire a Hyper Beam attack, Kris about to desperately order a counter-attack-

-but suddenly, a bright flash of light blinded everyone in the cave, Cyrus' Pokémon included. This was followed by the sound of a man yelling followed by electric crackles as a Shock Wave struck every one of Cyrus' Pokémon, bouncing from one enemy to the next.

When Kris was able to see properly again, Eusine and his Alakazam stood before her, Eusine himself looking stunned that all four of Cyrus' Pokémon had been knocked down by Alakazam's Shock Wave.

"Uh… hello there," Eusine said surprisingly meekly.

"Great timing, Eusine!" Kris sighed. "Did you get Mr. Briney safely back?"

"Yes, Alakazam wasn't able to go all the way to Hoenn, but we were able to head back to the closest city," Eusine said. "Then, we just followed the signal of your PokéGear. And you're welcome, by the way."

"Why can't that thing just teleport us to the Spear Pillar?" an irritated Jupiter asked.

Eusine waggled his finger at her condescendingly. "Surely you don't think I didn't take that into consideration?" he said, sounding more like his usual self. "There's too many of us, it's too high, the blizzards make it a pain for Alakazam to navigate, and then there are these weird Pokémon blocking our path-"

"We Get it, we get it, sheesh, just, stop talking!" Jupiter groaned.

Eusine ignored that advice. "Yes, it's a good thing I got here when I did!" he boasted. "Now, with my lead, we can finally-"

"Look out!" Iris yelled suddenly.

Cyrus' Pokémon weren't knocked out, just momentarily stunned. Gyarados had gotten the worst of it and was still down, but the others were already getting back up, growling menacingly at Eusine and Alakazam. Eusine waved his hand dramatically.

"The rest of you, go!" he proclaimed. "I've got this one!"

"Are you sure?" Iris asked him.

Eusine swallowed audibly. "I..." His voice quivered a bit. "Yes, yes, of course! J-just go!"

"We'll stay with him," Jupiter said and grabbed Mars' hand. "That idiot can't even put his cape on right, much less defend us from those four. Cyrus wouldn't need to control his own Pokémon, so I think the Red Chain just gives them a power boost."

"But what about my heroic moment?!" Eusine wailed, though no one listened.

Mars glared at Cyrus' Weavile, who had its claws ready and aimed at Eusine's Alakazam. "We'll take care of it," she said evenly. "You get to the Spear Pillar and stop that bastard."

"Wow, what happened to 'master Cyrus'?" Jupiter teased.

"Thanks," Kris said and glanced at Iris, Wes and Dawn. "Come on!"

As the four remaining people tried to leave, Cyrus' Pokémon prepared to attack, but Purugly, Skuntank and Alakazam got in the way as Mars, Jupiter and Eusine yelled orders at them. Kris, Iris, Wes and Dawn quickly made their way through the tunnels and continued their ascend, Kris not taking her eyes off the PokéGear map for even a second.

Finally, after another long walk, they made it: they reached the summit area, immediately feeling the freezing cold. As Eusine had said, it was snowing a lot more than that fateful night when the gang had first visited the place and fought against Cyrus. It had only been a few weeks, but after everything that had happened, it felt like a few years to Kris.

At the summit, Kris' PokéGear began showing the route less precisely and loading a lot more, forcing the group to work hard to find the correct path. Not wanting to wade through the snow for hours, Dawn summoned her Mamoswine, which could carry all four of them as it trotted through the snow. Iris and Wes had already withdrawn their Pokémon, but Kris had Chandelure and Mega Gardevoir float after them just in case. Kris kept her PokéGear ready while the others kept their eyes peeled for the Spear Pillar.

After a long ride, Kris finally saw it, yelling at Dawn to stop Mamoswine. Only a few hundred yards away, at the highest point of the mountain, Kris could see the pillars of the collapsed temple where she battled Cyrus, an eerie light emanating from it. Had Cyrus somehow already made it there?

But something didn't want Kris and the gang to make it. And that something was a pack of Abomasnow, at least two dozen of them, all with the same glowing red eyes as Cyrus' Pokémon, and all of them coming towards the gang.

"Get off," Dawn said to break the silence as everyone just stared.

"What?!" Kris hissed. "Not you too!"

"Yes me too," Dawn said firmly. "I've seen the way you people look at me. You think I'm some rich little princess who has her butler do everything for her!"

"i don't think anyone here thinks that," Iris said quickly. "But we should-"

"And everyone else did something to help," Dawn continued.

"You did too!" Wes said as he grabbed a Poké Ball from his belt. "Your brains are the reason we made it this far! Now let's take care of these things together."

"There's too many of them," Dawn said plainly. "You need to get to the Spear Pillar quickly. I'm not going to fight them. I'm going to draw them away from you."

"Dawn," Kris said, "are you s-"

But Dawn grabbed on to Mamoswine and kicked it a bit to make it stand on its hind legs, dropping Kris, Iris and Wes off in the snow.

"Mamoswine, Ancient Power!" Dawn yelled.

Mamoswine fired a silver-colored orb at the Abomasnow, making it explode at their feet. Most of the Abomasnow now focused on Dawn and Mamoswine, Dawn waving cheerfully at them.

"Hey, are you as stupid as you are ugly?!" she yelled at them. "Come on, come at me!"

Most of the Abomasnow went after Dawn as she and Mamoswine rode away. About three stayed to try and attack Kris and the others. Mega Gardevoir prepared to attack them, but Kris quickly ordered Chandelure to use Flame Burst, managing to knock out all three of the Abomasnow with one hit.

Hoping Dawn would make it out okay, Kris, Iris and Wes continued towards the Spear Pillar on foot, climbing up the perilous rocks and wading through the snow. It reminded Kris of how she and Eusine climbed Mt. Coronet, also to stop a dangerous lunatic. Only in this case, she wouldn't be facing him alone. Or so she hoped, though considering how fast the group had dwindled down, hope was the only thing keeping up that thought.

All the while hearing the noise the stampeding Abomasnow made, Kris, Iris and Wes climbed up the stairs leading to the temple, Mega Gardevoir and Chandelure floating behind them. Finally, at the top of the stairs, Kris was able to see the source of the light: torches were spread evenly around the tall stone pillars that made up most of the crumbled temple, but there were no other signs of life. Cyrus wasn't there either, fortunately. At the very entrance to the Spear Pillar, however, Wes turned to look behind him, still listening to the sounds of the Abomasnow.

"What?!" Kris snapped at him. "Don't tell me – you, too?!"

"Sorry, Krissy," Wes muttered and grabbed a random Poké Ball from his belt. "I can't let Dawn take on those things alone. There's dozens of them!"

"You realize there will be only two of us, right?!" Kris yelled. " _Two_!"

"I'm… sorry," Wes said, sounding almost ashamed. "But I want to make sure you use those plates, uninterrupted. Nothing else matters right now. There's no one here right now, and if it's up to me, I'll keep it that way."

Wes smiled at Iris, nodded at Kris and then started climbing the stairs back down before Kris could say anything else. Iris could only offer a shrug, so the two of them, along with their Pokémon, continued to head inside the Spear Pillar.

It wasn't until that moment when it dawned on Kris that she had no idea how to use the plates to begin with. Kris and Iris walked over to the spot Cyrus had disappeared from weeks ago, but saw no obvious places to put the plates in.

This frustrating search went on for several minutes, until Iris suddenly gasped, pointing at the floor.

Buried under a thin layer of snow and grime were thin slots in the floor that the plates would go in perfectly. The slots were organized into a half circle and were color-coded with barely visible paint and symbols corresponding to a type: a lightning bolt for the Zap Plate, a snowflake for the Icicle Plate and so on. Kris gave seven of the plates to Iris and kept eight of them to herself, and the two began to rapidly insert the plates into their slots.

By the time they were done, Kris still had one left in her hand: the Splash Plate. And two more plates were still missing! Kris and Iris kept sweeping the snow and dirt out of the way in desperate search for more slots, but found nothing – except a small triangular pedestal Iris was leaning against.

"All right, let me think!" Iris said to herself as she wrung her hands while Kris walked over to the pedestal. "It's possible that the Legendary Pokémon Society miscalculated, believed that it would take 17 plates, when we only need 14! But then, nothing has happened yet… then maybe the last three plates need to be used in some kind of ritual, maybe given to some Pokémon. Or perhaps-"

"Iris," Kris said quietly. "Move aside, please."

Kris leaned over triangle-shaped top of the pedestal, which had an engraving on it. Though the shapes were abstract, Kris still recognized Dialga and Palkia in two of the corners, a light shining on them from some kind of horse-shaped Pokémon from the third one. And in every corner, there was a slot for a plate. Logically, Kris assumed the Splash Plate would go in the corner with Palkia. The Iron Plate and the Draco Plate were still missing, however.

" _Very good_ ," a loud, echoing voice suddenly said. " _That gives you the time to hand those to me!_ "

Kris and Iris looked at the thing quietly hovering above them. Sure enough, it was Latias, but unlike Kris had ever seen. Iris recognized it well from Canalave City, however – Latias looked bigger and bulkier, with smoother wings and a grayish blue coloration. She didn't look crazy like usual, but focused on Kris and Iris.

Iris' shivered a bit, but Kris just crossed her arms in defiance.

"Well, well, look who's finally figured it out," she taunted Latias, then turned to whisper to Iris: "She has Mega Evolved, right?"

"Y… yeah," Iris whimpered, too afraid to go for a Poké Ball.

"Right, I knew that," Kris said confidently. "I also know that you got _wrecked_ when we fought last time, Latias! Think about that, a legendary Pokémon who absorbed so many others… beaten by a puny human and her measly Gardevoir. Sucks, huh?"

Kris gestured at Mega Gardevoir, who floated serenely in front of Kris and Iris, spreading her arms while staring up at Latias.

"I hope you don't mind I brought her along," Kris continued to sneer. "I didn't mean to make you feel triggered, though."

" _Kris_!" Iris hissed. "Could you not?!"

"Ah, relax," Kris said nonchalantly. "Okay, Latias!" she addressed the quietly hovering and watching dragon-type. "We're not giving you anything. Not just because getting them out of the slots would be too much effort, but also because we really just don't care for you. _Gardevoir, Moonblast_!"

Mega Gardevoir quickly fired an orb of pink energy towards Mega Latias, only taking her a split-second to charge the move. But even in that short time, Latias managed to move out of the way so quickly that Kris could swear she teleported. The Moonblast hit one of the broken pillars instead, blasting a part of it away.

"Kris…" Iris said quietly, but Kris knew she could do it, and already had a plan.

"Chandelure, Shadow Ball!" she yelled. "Gardevoir, gather some energy!"

But Latias dodged Chandelure's attack with equal ease, quickly moving behind the ghost-type and instantly knocking it out with a Shadow Ball of her own. As Gardevoir fired her charged, much bigger Moonblast, Latias countered it with an even bigger one of her own. As the attack collided in mid-air, all it caused was a loud explosion followed by showers of pink energy raining all over the Spear Pillar.

And before Mega Gardevoir could retaliate, Latias fired a crimson-colored beam of energy at her. Instead of being blown back, Mega Gardevoir closed her eyes, a painful expression on her face as she continued to glow a dark crimson color. She soon fell on her "hands" and "knees" (for lack of a better term) and briefly glowed bright white as she de-evolved back into a regular Gardevoir and collapsed. Kris quickly withdrew her before Latias could do any damage. She and Iris then turned to look at each other in shock.

Before anyone could do anything, Iris grabbed the Splash Plate from Kris.

"Run!" Iris yelled, and Kris didn't hesitate to obey.

Kris and Iris dashed out of the collapsed temple and down the stairs, back into the snowfall on Mt. Coronet's peak, not even looking behind them. Kris didn't stop to think, she just hoped Iris' smarts hadn't failed her now.

"Stay close!" Iris panted at Kris as she ran. "Latias can't risk destroying the plate!"

But as Kris and Iris made it to the foot of the stairs, Latias suddenly appeared in front of them, forcing the two to stop.

" _You were saying_?" Latias said harshly. " _Give it to me_."

Kris didn't stop to think if the idea that just popped in her head was a good one. With one hand, she grabbed the Splash Plate from Iris and held it in the air, while she used her other hand to grab Iris by the shoulder and pull her closer to herself.

"If you blow us up, this thing goes with us!" Kris yelled at Latias. "And if you come any closer, I'll throw this on the ground as hard as I can! It's just a hunk of clay or something, anyway!"

Latias scoffed. " _Those are artifacts that predate your immature species! Do you really think they'll be that easy to break_?"

"Do you?" Kris countered.

Her breathing was shallow and her heart was pounding so hard and fast that Kris was sure Iris could feel it. But she didn't let go of either Iris or the plate, and kept on staring into Latias' eyes, without even blinking.

And Latias didn't say anything, didn't charge at them, didn't try to attack. She just hovered in the air two feet away from Kris and Iris, completely silent.

" _Why can't you understand_?" Latias said suddenly, her "voice" much quieter than usual. " _I'm trying to do what's best here! I_ need _those plates_!"

"You haven't given us much reason to trust you," Iris pointed out. "I tried to reason with you before and nothing came out of it!"

" _You'll lose_ ," Latias said coldly. " _The beast will kill you all. I'm the only one here powerful enough to stand up against it._ "

"You're just going to solve our problem for us?" Kris asked, trying to sound defiant. "And not, say, use these plates to become even stronger?"

Latias didn't answer. Kris noticed something behind her – it was hard to see with the heavy snowfall, but it looked like a fire, like a signal or something. Maybe it was Wes? Latias hadn't noticed or sensed it, instead focusing on Kris and Iris.

" _I have finally reached the pinnacle of my evolution_ ," Latias said calmly. " _I don't need more power_."

"No," Iris said, shaking her head slightly. "You know there's something out there that's stronger than you. And that power isn't yours, you stole it. Don't think I didn't hear what Darkrai told you back then. You need the plates because you're afraid you might lose that power any second now."

Latias narrowed her eyes at Iris – then quickly swerved out of the way as a blast of fire was about to hit her. Kris closed her eyes, tried to shield her and Iris from the heat, but the fire didn't seem to even burn them, having just missed them.

What happened next happened much too fast to properly comprehend. An orange, lizard-like Pokémon with wings swooped in, a pair of orange claws grabbing Iris and pulling it on its back while a pair of human hands did the same for Kris. The orange Pokémon fired another attack at Latias, who was forced to dodge again.

And at that second, the orange Pokémon with Kris, Iris and a third human on its back started flying away, flying so fast that Kris had to duck, the cold breeze whipping her face raw. From what she could gather, she was flying on a Charizard, albeit much bigger than any other member of its species Kris had ever seen. And its trainer was someone with a dark green cloak covering them from head to waist, hiding their face completely.

Kris couldn't ask the mysterious trainer anything, not that she could probably be heard over the wind, anyway. In fact, she didn't have time to do anything at all as the snowfall and breeze suddenly stopped when the Charizard entered a cave. Iris was sitting behind Kris, holding to her tightly with her head pressing against Kris' back, probably knowing as little as Kris did now.

The Charizard flew a little deeper into the cave before suddenly turning around and shooting another firebomb at the entrance of the cave, forcing it to collapse and effectively trapping everyone inside. Though with Latias on their tail, Kris decided to think about the details later. Realizing Charizard had stopped, Iris let go of Kris, and both girls jumped off the fire-type's back and tumbled on the cold rocky floor of the cave to catch their breath. Although it was pitch dark inside the cave, the flame on the tip of Charizard's tail allowed them to see at least a few feet in every direction.

"We..." Iris panted. "That was… I..."

"Yeah, pretty much," Kris summed it up, then turned to look at the cloak-wearing mystery trainer who also jumped off Charizard's back and stopped to pet the intimidating fire-type on the head.

Who was this person? Who else could know about people fighting for their lives on top of Mt. Coronet? Someone from the Legendary Pokémon Society? That backup Blaine had mentioned? Or maybe it was a trap of Cyrus', meant to keep the plate away from Latias so Cyrus himself could steal or destroy it.

 _Or maybe_ , Kris thought as the trainer lowered their hood, causing Iris to gasp sharply. _It couldn't be…_

The trainer was a boy, just a year older than Kris and Iris, with spiky – _really_ spiky – black hair and reddish brown eyes. He was wearing a red jacket and had six Poké Balls on his belt, and while Kris and Iris just stared, he put a red cap on his head and adjusted it a bit.

As Kris and Iris, just stared at the trainer, expecting him to say something awe-inspiring, he did something strange – he rubbed the back of his neck, looking almost _awkward_ , actively avoiding eye contact with Kris and Iris.

"Um…" Kris said after an awkward silence, trying to open some line of communication. "Hi?"

"..." replied Red.


	24. Attack on Mt. Coronet, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Mt. Coronet, Kris and the group finally meet the long-missing Kanto Champion, deal with Latias' reappearance and prepare to fight Cyrus, who's become more powerful than ever.

_**Location: Mt. Coronet, Sinnoh** _

Kris, Iris and Red stood in awkward silence, Red still rubbing his neck.

 _No_ , Kris thought. _Not Red. It couldn't be. I mean, yeah, it was "foretold" or whatever that I'd meet him, but still – not Red?! This guy_ _is_ the _Red?!_

"Um..." Red said finally, his voice surprisingly quiet for a living legend. "Sorry about the bumpy ride here. I, uh, need to train Charizard a bit more."

Kris and Iris just stared.

"Oh, um, right," Red said and extended his hand. "I'm Red, from Pallet Town."

"Yes," Kris said as she shook his hand. "I know."

 _Don't stare! Don't stare_!

Kris continued to stare at Red as they continued with their awkwardly long handshake until Kris finally realized to let go. Red smiled nervously before shaking hands with Iris.

"Iris, from the Village of Dragons, Unova," Iris said slowly, also staring into Red's eyes as she had a slightly less awkward handshake with him.

"Oh, and I'm Kris!" Kris piped in, realizing what she forgot. "From New Bark Town! Johto!"

Red smiled and nodded, then started looking around the cave restlessly. At first, Kris assumed he sensed some kind of danger. But when nothing attacked them, Kris just realized Red had run out of things to say, so Iris spoke up.

"Thanks for saving us!" she said excitedly. "That was great!"

"Yeah, awesome," Kris chimed in. "That Charizard is great. Uh, _you_ were great!"

Red laughed nervously. "Thanks," he said and patted Charizard again. "I'm just glad I got there in time. I've never seen a Pokémon like the one that attacked you guys. Did I hear wrong or did it…?"

"Yeah, she can talk!" Kris said, wanting to say it before Iris did. "She's a psychic-type. Uh, her name is Latias. It's a, um, long story."

"Some criminals abducted her, killed her brother and gave her new powers that made her insane," Iris said.

"Well, in a nutshell," Kris muttered.

Red nodded, and awkward silence landed again. It was broken by something moving about in Red's bag. Kris flinched, but what crawled out of it wasn't hostile, but an adorable little yellow Pokémon: Red's Pikachu. _The_ Pikachu. Not that it looked any different from the rest of its kind, as Kris noticed. She expected it to have massive biceps or that its mere presence out of a Poké Ball would short out all electrical devices in a hundred-yard radius or something like that.

 _It's still the_ second _cutest yellow rodent Pokémon here,_ Kris thought.

"Hi there, sorry about shoving you in there," Red smiled at the Pikachu as he grabbed a piece of Pokémon food from his pocket and gave it to the electric-type.

Red turned to look at Kris and Iris.

"Well, um, I think you should be safe here," he said, choosing his words very carefully. "I'll come back to get you out when-"

"Wait, what?!" Iris said. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, um, to fight that thing," Red said casually. "Just, you know, tell me what you know about it so I can get it out of the way. See, this is a really bad time to be on these mountains. There's stuff happening that-"

"Has it anything to do with an insane cult leader about to open a hole in the fabric of reality to bring forth a monster that will devour us all?" Kris asked quickly.

Red frowned a bit.

"Um… who are you again?" he asked, confused.

"We're here to stop him," Kris said, now realizing how far-fetched it sounded. "Well, we're here to try," she amended, Iris nodding frantically. "Latias is just sort of a… wild card or something?"

Iris took the Splash Plate from Kris' hands without asking.

"She would have killed us if it wasn't for this!" Iris said and handed the plate to Red. "With that and a set of similar items, we may have a chance of defeating Cyrus!"

Red took the plate from Iris, almost dropping but just barely catching it with his fingertips, blushing awkwardly.

 _This is_ the _Red, right?_ Kris thought.

"Um… what does it do?" Red asked as he held the Splash Plate in his hands, the Pikachu sitting on his shoulder sniffing it curiously.

Iris glanced at Kris, who just shrugged.

"We don't really know," Iris said, sounding a bit ashamed. "Um, but it's not _our_ idea! We're not here alone! There's a bunch of people here, all fighting against Cyrus. We're just waiting for our backup. Um, I think."

Red handed the Splash Plate back to Iris carefully, taking the news in stride.

"Well, if you say so," he said. "It might be smart of us to unite our strength. I just, uh… don't really work well in a team. Last time I was a member of a team, it didn't end well."

This sparked something in Kris' mind.

"Yellow!" she shouted suddenly.

Red's eyes widened as he took a step back. "How do you-"

"Look, you _do_ know that we knew who you were before you told us, right?" Kris asked Red, who looked at his feet, ashamed. "You're the legendary Red, a hero, the youngest person ever to make Champion, the boy who stopped Team Rocket and did all that other great stuff… well, you're Red! And you just saved our lives, so you can add that to the list as well!"

Red didn't react in the way Kris had thought. Instead, he just sat down on the floor of the cave, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing deep.

"This is why I quit," he muttered. "I was just so tired of it all. I didn't want to stay still and rest on my laurels after beating Blue. And I didn't deserve the praise they threw my way. On my journeys, I've met so many other people more deserving of credit."

"What are you talking about?" Iris asked. "Look, we know about you even back in Unova. Kris is speaking the truth, you're a legend!"

Red sighed again, even deeper. "Would a legend hide like a coward for… Arceus, what has it been, a year? Or two years? I've lost track. I've spent a good amount of time frozen on top of Mt. Silver, then avoiding people wherever I went… even people who I promised to help. Like Yellow..."

"Yeah, we met Yellow!" Kris said, utterly confused as to why Red was acting this way. "They told me to tell you something!"

Red looked at Kris.

"Yellow wants you to come back to Pallet Town," Kris said, looking into Red's eyes. "I'm sure your mother is worried, too."

Red sighed and his shoulders slumped again. "Mom… I don't know what to tell her after being gone this long. Will she even forgive me? _Should she_?!"

"What's the matter with you?!" Kris yelled, ignoring Iris' attempts to shush her. "Do you know how long we've been looking for you?! And now you're acting a like-"

"Kris!" Iris hissed once again.

"What?!"

Red's Charizard and Pikachu were staring at the ceiling, having smelled or heard something. And the others would hear it too, as that something came crashing through the cave's ceiling, sending chunks of rock flying all over the place.

It was Latias, eyes still firmly in the plate Iris was holding.

" _Do you understand now_?" she asked, her voice echoing even more in the cave. " _There's nowhere to run. I don't care if I have to chase you to the far end of this world – you're just humans, and you're bound to slip sooner or later. Would save you a lot of pain if it was sooner..._ "

Red's posture changed instantly as he sprung on his feet and nodded at his Pokémon. Pikachu's red cheeks crackled as it blasted Latias with a bolt of lightning so bright it caused Kris and Iris to avert their eyes, and so powerful it blasted another hole in the ceiling's cave. Latias had dodged it, though, but this allowed Charizard to ram her and swipe at her with its sharp claws. But Latias countered immediately with a Mist Ball powerful enough to send Charizard plummeting down. To his credit, Red reacted so quickly that he managed to withdraw Charizard before it even hit the ground.

"Pikachu, save your strength!" Red ordered as Pikachu was about to fire again. "We need to bring out the big guns! Go!"

Kris could barely see Red throw a Poké Ball, he moved so fast. He sent out a Snorlax, although this was, again, bigger than any one Kris had ever seen, much bigger than her own. Wordlessly, Red commanded Snorlax to fire a Hyper Beam, but Latias easily dodged it.

Hitting Latias clearly wasn't the intention, though. Snorlax kept firing the Hyper Beam much longer than any Pokémon Kris had ever seen, the destructive beam of energy causing parts of the cave to collapse wherever it hit, forcing Latias to move quickly as large chunks of rock kept falling all over her. Finally, one managed to land as it bonked her on the head, but this only managed to piss her off. She raised a protective bubble around her and fired another Mist Ball, this one hitting Red's Snorlax square in the stomach and caused it to fall.

Red quickly withdrew his Pokémon again, but in the time it took him to do that, Latias fired another Mist Ball, this one hitting the ground at Red's feet and sent him flying backwards, his head hitting the ground, causing him to pass out – or so Kris hoped.

" _That boy's Pokémon actually made me put some effort into this_ ," Latias said in contempt. " _I won't say it again. The plate. Now._ "

Red's Pikachu, seeing what happened to its owner, threw caution in the wind as it jumped at Latias, its cheeks crackling with electricity again, but one Dragonbreath attack from Latias sent the poor little electric-type flying out of sight.

As this happened, Kris and Iris pressed closer to each other again, holding the plate between them. Latias scowled, but held her fire.

"She didn't kill Red," Iris whispered to Kris.

"Far as you know," Kris muttered back. "Seems he hit his head pretty bad."

"But she intentionally fired at his feet," Iris said quietly. "Maybe she's-"

" _This doesn't have to be hard_!" Latias interrupted. " _Yes, I heard what you said. I let him live because we can make a deal. You can't use the plates and you don't even know what they do. I can and I know – which means I should be the one to wield their power!"_

"And then what, let us go quietly without going on a spree of mayhem and destruction as you become some unstoppable God being?!" Kris yelled at her. "We'd rather you destroyed us both right here!"

Latias' eyes widened, like she was in shock. Kris frowned – she didn't think her line was that good. If she had practice, she could have worked on it more, but as it stood-

" _No,_ " Latias said quietly, staring at something behind Kris and Iris. " _It can't be you. It can't_!"

"Kris," Iris whispered, looking behind her.

Kris looked as well. And then both Kris and Iris ducked.

A Shadow Ball attack hit Latias, who was too shocked to counter it. It took Latias a few seconds to gather herself and glare at the attacker – Mewtwo.

Though it took Kris a few seconds to realize who it was. Mewtwo looked like it had shrunk, becoming smaller and lighter, its tail having disappeared and replaced with a similar looking appendage growing from the back of its head. It also had pointed, backwards-curling spikes on its head, a half-ring structure connecting the base of each. And it emitted a bright, light blue glow that illuminated most of the cave, while its eyes (now red instead of purple) focused intently on Latias.

" _What is that_?!" Latias spat. " _What have you done_?!"

" _I Mega Evolved_ ," Mewtwo replied calmly. " _There are a few benefits to being just an artificial construction._ "

" _Don't give me that_!" Latias argued petulantly. " _That's_ not _a Mega Evolution! I already saw it! I saw it and I defeated it! How did you manage this? And_ DON'T _say practice_!"

" _All right_ ," Mewtwo replied and pressed all three of its thick fingers together.

A blue, psychic explosion suddenly triggered just next to Latias, causing her to scream out and fly towards a wall, though she managed to regain her balance just before she hit it.

" _I won't_ ," Mewtwo finished.

Latias laughed, though it sounded forced and desperate. " _Fine, you did it!_ " she scoffed. " _You Mega Evolved – again! You're… Mega Mewtwo… Y_ , _or something_!"

" _Nice ring to it,_ " Mewtwo said.

" _Yeah, but you can't kill me_!" Latias taunted. " _That's your problem, isn't it? You're too busy being a hypocrite thinking you can 'save my soul' or some other crap! No matter how tough you think you might have become, I_ know _you!_ _You're… you're good!_ "

Mewtwo just stared at Latias.

" _I_ … _I'm a lost cause_ ," Latias said, but it wasn't a taunt or a boast anymore – just a statement. " _I can and will kill. I've come too far. I've finally learned to use my strength and to stay in this form. And because you've forced me, I will demonstrate that to you – DIE_!"

Latias fired another crimson energy beam at Mewtwo, making it as powerful as she could. But Mewtwo was quick to cross its arms and create a barrier around it. The ground underneath Mewtwo crackled while the air around it heated up to insane levels, but Mewtwo kept staring defiantly as Latias as the beam finally dissipated and fizzled out, leaving Latias exhausted.

" _Fight back_!" she screamed, sounding like she was pleading. " _Show me how strong you've become! Kill me_!"

" _All right_ ," Mewtwo replied, enveloping itself in a blue bubble of energy.

Mewtwo then launched itself at Latias, but in mid-air, something happened to it. In less than a second, Mewtwo transformed from its sleek new Mega Evolution back to the bulky, muscular form Kris and Iris had seen in Hoenn. This surprised Latias so much it allowed Mewtwo to ram at her at full speed, detonating the energy sphere around it as it hit. This caused a powerful, bright explosion that sent Latias flying through the cave's ceiling and into the sky in a screaming, spinning ball of helplessness, rocketing higher and higher into the air until all the group could see was a twinkle in the sky.

Making sure Latias could no longer be seen, Mewtwo, still floating in mid-air, quickly transformed back to its regular, base form, then fell on the ground. As Kris and Iris rushed to it, they could hear it utter its last words before going unconscious:

" _I'm_ … _s_ _orry for what happened to you… Latias_..."

**~o~O~o~**

As Iris used all her know-how to nurse Mewtwo back to health, Kris managed to get Red to wake up. Apart from a headache, Red seemed fine, with no signs of a concussion. He then immediately went to tend to his own Pokémon, namely Pikachu, who was on the brink of consciousness after getting hit by Mega Latias' attack. While Red treated his Pikachu, Kris told him all about what she knew and had talked with Yellow and how she had traveled three months on S.S. Anne to meet Red and how she had followed his trail all over Hoenn.

"...but why did you leave?" Kris asked Red after feeling like she had talked way too much about herself. "That's the one thing I still don't understand. You were the Champion, I'm sure you could have asked for anything and snapped your fingers, and it would be in front of you!"

Red smiled a bit. "I admit, it was nice at first, the way everyone treated me after I beat Blue. But as a Champion, I got to meet so many people from many other regions, and I realized that I'd never been outside of Kanto before. I couldn't just stay still and wait for people to challenge me or attend some boring ceremonies. I wanted to keep traveling, to keep getting stronger. And… well, Yellow helped me see a different side of the Pokémon League, and I wasn't comfortable working with them after that."

"How did you meet Yellow, anyway?" Kris asked eagerly. "Was it before or after you became Champion?"

Red smiled even wider remembering it. "Just before," he said quietly. "I was training for the Pokémon League outside Viridian City when I met Yellow in the forest. Yellow and I put together a group of people I could actually trust and we dug up dirt on the Pokémon League from the inside. But keeping up appearances was too hard. That's another reason I quit, it was becoming too dangerous, for all of us. Unfortunately, it wasn't as wise of a move as I thought."

Red sighed.

"After I quit," he continued, Kris listening intently, "they must have thought I… outlived my usefulness. See, beating Blue made me realize that all the Pokémon League wanted was a face. I was useful, but also expendable. They could groom anyone else they wanted to be my successor. In fact, the Chairman of the League even told me that much. I then realized what it must have felt like for Blue to lose his position after less than an hour."

"But it wasn't just my safety that I worried about. They went after the people I loved. Leaf and Blue were in my group, but officially, we hadn't talked since I became Champion. Professor Oak pretty much stopped all contact as soon as I quit. And they couldn't connect me to anyone else, except Yellow… and my mom. So, I had to go as far away as possible, occasionally popping up to convince my pursuers that I had abandoned my home and that mom had no idea where I was. And Yellow, well, Yellow's even harder to catch than I am. But as I focused on hiding and training, I… missed them every day. I didn't _want_ to hide and run. I just had no choice."

"You _did_ do something!" Kris reminded Red. "After you got away from the Masked Man, you went to Hoenn to look for information, right?"

Red nodded. "About this prophecy me and Yellow had been looking into. I went for Steven Stone and professor Cozmo to help, but I didn't get far with my investigation. After their agents found me in Hoenn, I had to come here to Sinnoh. And then these dimensional distortions started concentrating here..."

Red shook his head. "All I know is that it's bad and I'll try my best, but really, I don't see how I can make a difference… all I can do is run."

Kris couldn't believe her ears. "But-"

"It's true," Red groaned. "All that stuff you said I did? A lot of it comes down to my Pokémon being smarter than me, luck, friends helping me out, et cetera… but _you_ , Kris, look at what you've done!"

Kris' face almost turned the same shade as Red's cap. "M… me? No, you don't-"

"You stopped the Masked Man-" Red started.

"I just got lucky!"

"-you stopped Latias in Hoenn-"

"I almost died, and I had a lot of friends helping me out, too!"

"-you stopped Team Galactic right here-"

"That was _definitely_ a lucky coincidence, if I hadn't released Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf, Cyrus would have blown me to smithereens!"

"-and you came here and managed to make it to the top of the mountain again to save the world!" Red finished, then smiled and shook his head when Kris just sputtered some incoherent objections. "And you're so modest. I wonder why you spent so much time and energy looking for me… when you can do everything I can and more."

"I'm sure you could beat me in a Pokémon battle, though," Kris pointed out.

"Probably, yeah," Red said with a shrug. "But skill isn't the only thing that counts. You've got to have... I dunno, conviction, confidence, courage, whatever!"

Red stopped to cough and clear his throat.

"...sorry," he said quietly. "I haven't talked this much since... ever."

Kris was glad to be able to talk about something else when Iris came to her and Red, looking worried.

"Well?" Kris asked immediately.

Iris shrugged helplessly. "I did what I could, but I'm no expert. We need to get Mewtwo treated properly, like in a Pokémon Center. If it hadn't been Mega Evolved when it took Latias' Night Daze, it definitely wouldn't have survived."

Red quickly stood up.

"I'll look after Mewtwo," he said. "I mean, that's another thing I should have taken care of but you did first," he told Kris. "I'll also find your friends and help them the best I can."

"But – no!" Kris interrupted, standing up as well. "We're going back to the Spear Pillar! We need you there!"

"I doubt you need me for anything," Red said with a chuckle. "Latias has been taken care of, Cyrus is busy with your friends."

"And they need our help, Kris!" Iris pointed out. "Let Red do that, we need to take care of the plates."

Kris sighed. "Fine," she said grumpily. "Too bad we have no idea where we are..."

"I'll take you," Red assured. "And I'm sure we'll meet again!"

**~o~O~o~**

_**Location: Spear Pillar, Mt. Coronet, Sinnoh** _

_**A bit later…** _

Having made it back, the first thing Kris and Iris did at the Spear Pillar was insert the Splash Plate on the triangle-shaped pedestal, in Palkia's corner. Two plates were still missing, and there had been no word from Cynthia or Lance. At least the other fourteen plates were still securely where the duo had left them.

"Kris," Iris said to cover the awkward silence. "You hear that?"

"Hm?"

Kris stopped to listen. Indeed, she heard some kind of distant rumble… followed by crackling. Had inserting the Splash Plate finally triggered something?

But as the crackling grew louder, Kris' mood fell dramatically. The plates weren't doing anything. Rather, at the very edge of the cliff the temple sat upon, another dark purple vortex appeared. Kris and Iris immediately turned to run away, but the ruined temple's entrance was blocked by two Pokémon: a Weavile and a Crobat. Quickly enough, a Gyarados slithered up the stairs to join them.

From the vortex, Cyrus emerged calmly, keeping his hands behind his back as he took a few steps closer to Kris and Iris, observing them without saying a word.

"Forget it!" Kris was quick to yell at him. "There's still two more plates on the way, and if you do anything to us, you'll never be able to stop the others!"

Cyrus simply nodded. But not to Kris and Iris. Cyrus' Gyarados roared and slithered towards Kris, opening its mouth wide as it prepared to swallow Kris with one bite.

Fear overtook Kris' body, and she didn't have time to do anything but scream and shield her face with her hands as the massive blue serpentine Pokémon attempted to chow down. But one of the Poké Balls on her belt, the very special one marked with a blue 'T', opened on its own as a Feraligatr emerged from the ball. Croc materialized between Kris and Gyarados and grabbed Gyarados by the head, using every ounce of strength in its body to keep Gyarados away from Kris.

Kris didn't stop to wonder how Croc had done it, but she simply scattered backwards and both she and Iris sent out more Pokémon: Kris sent out Shrew while Iris went with her Fraxure.

While Croc wrestled with Gyarados, Cyrus' Weavile and Crobat attacked Shrew and Fraxure. Kris had completely forgotten it, but Iris' Pokémon had gotten an upgrade from Yellow as well. With Iris giving it orders, Fraxure easily kept Cyrus' Crobat at bay with its tusks while it forced Crobat on the defensive by shooting rapid-fire Dragon Pulse and Dragon Rage attacks at it. Meanwhile, Shrew prevented Weavile from using its speed against it, keeping close to it at all times while attempting to stab the ice-type with its claws.

"Shrew, Slash!" Kris yelled, and Shrew took a swipe at Weavile, forcing it to retreat and jump on top of one of the crumbling pillars. "Croc, Superpower!"

Kris' Feraligatr glowed blue again, but it didn't punch or body slam Gyarados. Instead, it grabbed the sea serpent by the neck and as close to the tail as it could reach, and with a massive roar, lifted Gyarados above its head. Kris was distracted from Shrew's battle with Weavile as she stared with a mix of fear and awe as Croc, looking like its body was about to collapse under Gyarados' weight, its muscles bulging as Gyarados flailed helplessly. With a mighty toss, Croc threw Gyarados tumbling down the Spear Pillar's stairs. Grinning victoriously, Croc turned to look at Kris. It took a moment for Kris to realize it wanted to know what to do next, not looking any worse for wear.

"Go help Fraxure!" Kris told Croc. "Shrew, Dig!"

While Iris and Fraxure could probably take Crobat on their own, Kris wanted to see if the power boost had affected Shrew any. Just as Weavile was about to use Ice Punch, Shrew burrowed underground. On Kris' command, it resurfaced a moment later, knocking an unsuspecting Weavile around. As Weavile was about to retaliate with a stab of its sharp claws, Kris ordered Shrew to use Defense Curl.

And while on a normal day, that Defense Curl would just mildly slow down Weavile from sinking its claws into Shrew, with Yellow's power-up, Shrew's shell was so hard it caused Weavile's claws to break. At the same time, a combined Slash from Croc and Fraxure caused Cyrus' Crobat to finally faint.

"Weavile, retreat," Cyrus ordered lazily.

Gratefully, Weavile scurried back to Cyrus' side. Cyrus didn't make any effort to withdraw his fainted Crobat, however.

Kris was about to taunt Cyrus about his loss, but Iris silenced her before she could speak. Instead, Kris and Iris just watched Cyrus raise the scepter in his hand with the Red Chain wrapped around it. Kris decided to stay quiet, remembering how, with just the Red Chain, Cyrus had almost reduced Kris and Iris' body mass by a considerable amount not too long ago.

As the Red Chain glowed, Kris and Iris prepared to duck, but Cyrus wasn't shooting beams at them. Instead, before anyone could react, Cyrus' Gyarados crashed into the temple again, its eyes glowing bright red, just like it had back when Eusine, Jupiter and Mars had stayed behind to fight it. Before Kris and Iris' Pokémon could attack, Gyarados grabbed Iris' Fraxure with its jaws with one swift motion. Fraxure only got out a pitiful scream for help as Gyarados shut its large mouth, leaving Fraxure trapped inside, completely at Gyarados' mercy. Should it decide to swallow…

"Stop!" Iris screamed at Cyrus, whose face still wasn't showing any emotion. "We can make a deal, just _please_ , don't hurt Fraxure!"

"A deal?" Cyrus repeated. "I hold all the cards here. Dialga and Palkia are still out there to make sure your friends stay busy. The lake guardians won't risk themselves meddling in human affairs a second time – you used that card already. And the Red Chain makes sure my Pokémon will not hesitate to throw away their lives if it means stopping you. Gyarados-"

"No!" Kris and Iris both yelled.

"-dinnertime!"

But Gyarados didn't gulp down. Instead, its mouth was forced open as a bright light erupted from it. Something pried its way out of Gyarados, but it wasn't Fraxure anymore. It was twice as tall, its tusks having turned to razor-sharp scythes. It was now dark yellow instead of green, covered in armor-like scales, its claws being longer and sharper than ever and its tail looked strong enough to pull a tree out of the ground.

"Haxorus…." Iris whispered, then steeled herself. "Haxorus, Dragon Claw!"

And the freshly-evolved Haxorus obeyed, swiping at Gyarados with its claws and sending the water-type tumbling down the stairs again, this time for good. Cyrus waved his scepter around, causing his Crobat to pop back up again, eyes glowing red, while Cyrus' Honchkrow swooped in from behind one of the pillars.

That's when Kris had an idea.

"What do you say we take care of this together?" she asked Iris. "Haxorus and Feraligatr, huh?"

"Joint tail attack?" Iris responded quietly, and Kris nodded. "You read my mind. Haxorus, Dragon Tail!"

"Croc, Aqua Tail, together with Haxorus!"

Croc and Haxorus grabbed each others hands (or claws, or whatever) and their tails glowed, Croc's dark blue while Haxorus' bright light blue. The two reptilian Pokémon jumped up, tails ready to strike, while Crobat and Honchkrow rushed at them with no regard for their well-being.

"Switch!" Kris and Iris yelled in unison, just as the two were about to strike.

Both Crobat and Honchkrow had to stop to reassess the situation, giving their enemies a perfect opening. Haxorus' Dragon Tail whacked Crobat against a pillar, knocking it could, while Croc's Aqua Tail hit Honchkrow right in the beak, sending the poor bird Pokémon on the ground, also unconscious. The red glow faded from their eyes, but Cyrus still made no effort to withdraw them.

"That's enough, Cyrus!" Iris yelled at him. "You can still call this thing off! Let Dialga and Palkia go free!"

"And don't even think about using that thing!" Kris said, pointing at the Red Chain. "Our Pokémon are much, _much_ stronger than last time, and all that thing can do is slightly tickle them!"

While Iris seemed sincere in her words, Kris doubted this would have any effect. Most likely they would have to fight. Cyrus was able to walk away from the Distortion World, after all – no way he'd stop just because they asked politely.

But it wasn't Cyrus who spoke up first. It was a loud, booming voice, coming from the vortex behind Cyrus. And it didn't so much as speak as it _let_ everyone around it hear what it had to say:

" _Now_.."

"Of course, my lord," Cyrus agreed and lifted his scepter in the air.

Kris and Iris braced themselves for the worst, but instead of an energy beam or something similar, the Red Chain just seemed to stir up a strong gust of wind. But then crackles of electricity started appearing all over the temple, concentrating into a purple vortex of energy a few dozen feet above them.

Shrew, despite Yellow's power-up, was freaking out, on the verge of running away until Kris picked the Pokémon up. Kris, Iris and their Pokémon ran behind a pillar for cover, not that it helped much, as it felt like they were in the eye of a vicious storm. As Kris struggled to keep Shrew in her grasp, she noticed Iris wasn't faring much better.

"Kris!" she whispered for some reason. "Did you hear that? _Did you hear that_?!"

"That voice?" Kris wondered. "Yeah, but you shouldn't-"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Iris sighed. "Last time we were here, I thought I was the only one! Kris, that was it! _It_! Did you see it?!"

Kris shook her head. "See what? Iris, calm do-"

"Just look!" Iris yelled and forcibly turned Kris' head towards Cyrus.

Indeed, there was something in the portal behind him. Kris only saw it for a split-second, but hidden in the midst of swirling purple clouds and impenetrable darkness, Kris briefly saw a pair of large, brightly glowing red eyes. But as she blinked, the eyes were gone, and just the darkness remained.

"We're not gonna make it!" Iris lamented, holding her head. "It's here! We were too late!"

"Iris!" Kris yelled and grabbed Iris' shoulder. "We just have to hang on! Lance and Cynthia are on it! If those two can't do it, then no one can!"

"Iris! Kris!"

They both turned to look at the one calling them. Hiding behind the pillar closest to the stairs was Wes, waving at Kris and Iris, with his Umbreon standing behind his legs, glaring at the portal behind Cyrus. Kris hoisted Shrew on her shoulders, grabbed Iris by the arm and dragged her to Wes, Croc and Haxorus following suit.

"What are you doing here?!" Kris hissed at Wes once they made it to him. "I thought you were backing Dawn up!"

"I was!" Wes said defensively. "It was going fine until another portal popped up, then this huge blue thing appeared out of nowhere!"

"I knew it," Iris moaned. "Kris, it's coming! We have to get out of here!"

"What's coming?" Wes wondered, but Iris was too freaked out to answer. "Kris, what was that th-"

But Wes' question was soon answered. The group's voices were drowned out by powerful electrical crackles and wind as two enormous portals opened above the Spear Pillar. From one portal emerged a massive, bipedal, light purple Pokémon with a long neck and tail – Palkia. From the other emerged Dialga, an equally massive blue quadruped with silvery metallic portions around its body. Both stood at almost twenty feet, with disproportionately small red eyes and mouths full of razor-sharp teeth, each like daggers.

"Wes!" Kris yelled as Wes just stared at the two Pokémon with his mouth open – he hadn't seen them this close yet. "Wes!"

"Wha- what?"

"You have your Pokémon with you, right?!" Kris yelled, though it was no longer necessary as the wind was settling down and the crackling had stopped. "Send them all out already!"

"Already done it!" Wes said awkwardly as he patted Umbreon. " _That thing_ ," he pointed at Dialga, "knocked all the others out with one shot! It was like-"

"Yeah, I've seen it," Kris sighed. "What now, then?!"

Wes stared at Cyrus intently. The Red Chain coiled around his scepter glowed as Cyrus swung it around in strange patterns, commanding Dialga and Palkia to land by his side.

"That thing," Wes said. "Does it do what I think it does?"

"Yeah, he's controlling those two with it," Kris said. "And that's probably what he's gonna use to open the massive portal that's going to swallow us all into hell..."

"But without it, he's just some dude with spiky, receding hair, right?" Wes asked feverishly. "All we gotta do is get it off him and-"

Kris pulled Wes down as he tried to peek behind the pillar. "Yeah, get it off him, great plan!" Kris hissed at him sarcastically. "Before or after he uses it to puree you?!"

Wes looked at Kris in the eyes. "Remember the battle with Latias? You two wanna be the distraction this time?"

"It'll never work!" Iris wailed.

"You'll be killed!" Kris protested.

Wes turned to look at Cyrus again, as if he was calculating his chances.

"Nah," he said eventually, as casually as what one sounded while ordering dinner. "I won't. Just keep Cyrus' attention off me."

"Wes!"

Kris grabbed Wes by the arm and dragged him closer to herself, away from where Cyrus could potentially see him.

"You don't have to prove anything to me," Kris said seriously, trusting him to understand.

Wes just smiled. "I know I don't. Umbreon, let's go!"

Determined, Wes broke free from Kris' grip and started running towards Cyrus, Umbreon following loyally behind. This seemed to break Iris out of her funk, and neither Kris nor Iris had any choice but to back Wes up as well as they could.

"Haxorus, go get Palkia!" Iris ordered.

"Croc, you focus on Dialga!" Kris yelled. "Go at 'em!"

Kris didn't like just sending her Pokémon after such a monster with no sort of plan, but there weren't any other options. Since Dialga and Palkia were under Cyrus' command, Kris was sure Cyrus would have to concentrate fully to keep them that way.

But Kris severely underestimated the might those two Pokémon possessed. Palkia tried to take a swing at Haxorus with its colossal tail, and while Haxorus dodged it and tried to slash the tail with its scythe-like tusks, Palkia's shoulder pearl glowed bright pink as Palkia slashed the air. The slash created an enormous, crescent-shaped blade of pink energy that knocked Haxorus out by just grazing it.

Croc fared no better. After failing to even make a dent against Dialga with an Earthquake, Kris tried Hydro Cannon, but even this attack only seemed to annoy Dialga. With Croc exhausted from its attack, Dialga was free to retaliate, the diamond on its chestplate glowing bright blue as the dragon-type let out an eardrum-shattering roar and released a powerful blue energy blast at Croc. Even though Croc managed to dodge it, the blast shattered one of the pillars and caused debris to fall on poor Croc, knocking it out as well.

And all Cyrus had to do was wave the Red Chain in the air a bit. Wes and Umbreon weren't even halfway there when Cyrus noticed them, pointing his scepter at Wes' Umbreon and firing a crimson energy beam at it. It didn't hit Umbreon point-blank, but it blew a crater in the floor below it, sending the dark-type flying. Wes stopped to withdraw Umbreon back to its Poké Ball, but before he could do anything else, Cyrus fired again.

This time, the Red Chain's beam blew up the bottom half of the pillar behind Wes while the top half crashed towards him. It all happened so fast that Kris couldn't even curse her own helplessness: fear registered briefly on Wes' face as he turned around and tripped on the crater in the floor, falling face-down in it as the pillar crashed on top of him and crumbled into chunks of rock.

Iris' shrieked in agony as she saw the pillar fall on Wes, but Kris managed to grab Iris before she dashed away from cover, holding her in a full nelson.

"Let me go!" Iris cried as she tried to wriggle free – she sure was strong was someone so small. "He might still be alive! There could be a little pocket of air there! We just have to get him out of there!"

"Iris," Kris grunted as Iris continued to struggle, "get back into co-"

But Iris didn't listen. She slipped away from Kris' grasp and made a desperate dash towards Wes – and that's when Cyrus pointed his scepter at her.

The beam he fired was halfway from hitting her directly when a blue sphere of energy appeared out of nowhere to deflect it. Kris, Iris and Cyrus all turned towards the sky – then quickly covered their eyes and ears as something bright and loud fell from the sky towards the temple.

Bright orange fireballs rained directly on Dialga and Palkia, managing to hurt even the two behemoths. The Draco Meteor attacks were fired by a Dragonite and a Garchomp, with Lance riding the former. Dragonite didn't waste time but went straight for Palkia, hitting it with a Dragon Claw attack, while Garchomp chopped Dialga with Brick Break. Soon after, Cynthia, riding her Togekiss, swooped down, hopped off her Pokémon and landed gracefully next to Kris and Iris, a sheathed sword hanging on her back. Cynthia commanded Togekiss to go assist Garchomp by blinding Dialga with a Dazzling Gleam attack, then grabbed Iris by the wrist and dragged her away, nodding at Kris to follow.

Kris, Iris and Cynthia hid behind the pedestal with the Splash Plate inserted, Cynthia pulling out two objects from her pocket: the Iron Plate and the Draco Plate.

"I got this," Cynthia said, holding up the Iron Plate, "with the help from Byron in Sinnoh, and Lance got this," Cynthia held up the Draco Plate, "from his cousin Clair from Johto. Turns out she was using it to boost the powers of her Pokémon to win back the respect of her fellow gym leaders. All Lance had to do was remind her of the league rules and she gave in pretty quick."

"Great!" Kris exclaimed and grabbed the plates from Cynthia. Not waiting for Cynthia to say anything, Kris inserted the plates into their designated slots, ducked back behind the pedestal and cringed, as if expecting something to blow up.

But nothing happened, prompting Cynthia to raise an eyebrow and continue as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"To complete the ritual," she said and pulled another object from her pocket – a fancily decorated blue ocarina, "you need to play the Azure Flute."

"And it does what?" Kris having just went with the LPS' word until now.

Cynthia looked at Kris, as if weighing on whether or not to answer, but had the ocarina suddenly snatched away from her. Cyrus' Weavile had sneaked behind them, and was now on its way to faithfully deliver the flute to its master. Cyrus simply grabbed the flute away from the Pokémon without a second thought.

"Damn it!" Kris cursed. "We have to get it back!"

"It wouldn't have helped anyway ," Cynthia mused. "I need time to finish the ritual, and I can't do it with Dialga and Palkia in the picture. And even my best Pokémon won't last long against them."

Cynthia stood up and pulled her blade from its sheath.

"I have to help them," she said simply.

"Cynthia, wait!" Kris yelled.

But Cynthia didn't listen. She whistled at her Togekiss, prompting it to break away from its battle with Dialga and return to Cynthia, allowing the champion to climb on its back. Cynthia readied her sword and returned to battle side by side with her Pokémon, slashing and stabbing Dialga everywhere she could. Holding the flute in his grasp, Cyrus simply observed the ongoing battle.

Though it slipped past Kris' notice, Iris had recovered and was now standing up, no Poké Ball on hand or anything, utterly at Cyrus' mercy. A determined look in her eyes and completely ignoring Kris' pleas to take cover, Iris marched towards where Cyrus was standing, on top of one of the pillars on the very edge of the temple, at the highest point on Mt. Coronet.

Kris ran after her, but by the time she got to Iris, the latter had already alerted the Galactic boss.

"Hey, you!" she yelled at him. "Cyrus!"

Cyrus turned to look at her lazily, not even bothering to take aim at her with his scepter.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she yelled at him. "Do you think just coming back from the Distortion World could help you? We beat you before, even when you had Dialga and Palkia by your side! And we'll beat you again! Just look at the two people you're fighting against."

A bright flash of light made Cyrus turn to look. Lance had hopped off his Dragonite and onto his Aerodactyl, which had Mega Evolved, having grown bigger and now equipped with spiky, jagged stones all over its body. With the two of his Pokémon fighting Palkia and two of Cynthia's Pokémon fighting Dialga, with Cynthia herself slashing Dialga with her sword everywhere she could, the two Champions were giving the legendary Pokémon a run for their money.

"And we've got a whole team of champions, elites and gym leaders ready to go if that's what it takes!" Iris gloated. "Oh, _and_ a legendary Pokémon that's about to get back to full strength – one specifically designed to be the strongest! How long do you think these two _things_ ," she motioned at Dialga and Palkia, whose battle against the Champions continued to rage, "can last against it?"

"Forever if they must, little girl," Cyrus retorted. "These are the Gods of time and space you're dealing with! With the Red Chain, I don't have the worry about the power-limiting effects of Poké Balls – I can tap into their massive, ancient power at will!"

"You don't sound too convinced," Iris bragged even when Kris, hiding behind some rubble, tried to gesture at her to stop – it wasn't a very good idea to sass a genocidal madman. "In fact," Iris continued, "you know there's a good chance you'll lose. You stole the Azure Flute from us. You could have chucked it down this cliff, but you didn't. You're still desperately holding onto your last bargaining chip."

Iris extended her hand.

"But if you give it back," she said, now more softly, "you can end this madness. It's not you who's doing this, Cyrus. There are people in Sinnoh who still look up to you! You made that region what it is! It's not too late to start over."

Kris stared at Iris in confusion. Was this really working? Just _talking_ to him? Kris had to admit, she hadn't considered it, as her blinding hatred for the man had gotten in the way. But maybe Iris had a point.

_Maybe…_

Cyrus gazed at the Azure Flute. "This thing… can it really put an end to all this?"

Iris nodded and smiled at him.

_Just maybe…_

Cyrus held the flute in his hand, looking like he was going to drop it for Iris…

...then he closed his hand in a fist and easily crushed the flute into hundreds of little bits.

 _Welp, I should have known_ , Kris thought.

"Now, ask me again if I'm sure of my victory," Cyrus said while Iris' eyes widened in horror.

Cyrus didn't give Iris time to answer as he aimed the Red Chain at her.

And that was when Kris' brain seemed to temporarily shut down. She wasn't exactly sure what drove her to it, but something in her, an instinct, an impulse, _something_ , made her rush out of cover and lunge towards her friend. There was no way she would make it in time – part of her knew that. The only thing she could do was get herself killed as well. By the time Kris managed to grab Iris, a red beam of destructive energy had already left Cyrus' scepter.

The beam didn't hit Kris or Iris, but instead struck the floor beneath them. It crumbled and sent both Kris and Iris flying down the hill, screaming in unison as they held onto one another. And all Kris really had time to think about was how much things sucked right now.

_Damn it. This was supposed to be my moment. I survived everything up until now – only for everything to come to this?_

_Wes dead, Mewtwo badly hurt, all our friends probably dead or dying, the Azure Flute destroyed… did we really fail?_

_And there wasn't even time to say goodbye to everyone..._

But Kris and Iris' fall didn't end in the jagged rocks below, but rather on something soft and feathery, a pair of human arms holding onto them.

"I got you!" a familiar voice said.

Kris opened her eyes. It took her a few seconds to register that she was flying on the back of a Braviary, soaring back towards the temple where Cynthia and Lance's battle against Dialga and Palkia raged on. Even the normally blank-faced Cyrus raised an eyebrow at this improbable event. But what Kris paid attention to most was the identity of her rescuer.

It was Lyra, who just smiled nervously at her, holding onto her Braviary with one had and holding to Kris with the other. Kris' mind was racing – she still wasn't sure if she had fallen down the cliff after all and had either died or went in a coma. It took Iris, who was still holding onto Kris, a bit longer to realize what had happened and clarify the situation for everyone.

"We're alive?!" she gasped. "WE'RE ALIVE!"

"Yeah," Kris muttered, staring at Lyra. "I guess we are."

Lyra smiled, then turned to her Pokémon. "Braviary, set us down, but try not get us caught in the crossfire!" she yelled over the rushing wind, then turned to Kris again. "Surprised?!" she asked.

" _Yes_!" Kris yelled, almost crying of relief. "How did you – are _you_ the backup Blaine mentioned?!"

"Yup!" Lyra proclaimed proudly. "I was ashamed of what I did back in Pallet Town. I should have never even suggested running away from this. And Kris… I owe you an apology. For everything I-"

"There's a chance for that later!" Kris yelled. "You saved our lives, Lyra! Who cares about the past now?!"

"I didn't come alone!" Lyra pointed out, and at that moment, a bright flash of light briefly cleared up the sky.

A Charizard was flying at full speed towards the Spear Pillar, shooting fireballs towards Dialga and Palkia at random, while its rider, Red, yelled orders at it and controlled it like the two were one being. And flying alongside Red was Mewtwo, still apparently injured and back in its base form, but determined to help nonetheless.

As Braviary landed, Kris, Iris and Lyra landed back on the Spear Pillar, as far away from the raging battle as possible. Lyra thanked Braviary and withdrew it, then sent out Scorch, her Typhlosion. Shrew, who had been hiding behind a pillar the whole time, immediately ran over and jumped in Kris' lap, nuzzling to her and squeaking in relief, then jumped out to hug Scorch as well.

Before Kris could talk to Lyra about anything else, however, she and everyone else heard the voice again. The loud, booming, harrowing voice echoing from the portal behind Cyrus. Now Kris was sure she was a pair of glowing red eyes in the portal, amidst of swirling mass of black clouds.

" _Cyrus… you're losing..._ "

Holding his head, Cyrus was losing his cool. His normally half-open eyes were now wide and bulging out and his face was shiny with sweat.

"No, please, my lord, I have everything under control!" he pleaded. "With the Red Chain, I can't lose, I know it, I just need a little more time!"

" _We're running out. We need Dialga and Palkia to complete the ritual. You know what you must do. Let me take charge_."

"M-my lord…?" Cyrus stuttered obliviously. "But you can't! You said it yourself! The portal is not big enough! You're not strong enough to appear in this world yet!"

" _Not on my own. I need your help, Cyrus. I need more energy. We talked about this before. If you want your perfect world, you have to make some… sacrifices."_

"I..." Cyrus gulped. "I understand."

Cyrus raised his Red Chain -adorned scepter as high as possible, holding it with both hands. And as he did, hell broke loose.

A swirling mass of purple and black clouds appeared around the tip of his scepter, and just like when he had first appeared on the temple, another storm suddenly swept across the Spear Pillar. Cynthia, Lance, Red and even Mewtwo, along with Garchomp, Togekiss, Dragonite , Mega Aerodactyl and Charizard, were all swept away by it, while Dialga and Palkia stopped fighting them. The storm threw the Champions and their Pokémon around like rag dolls while Scorch had to hold onto Kris, Iris and Lyra so they didn't get swept off as well, Kris holding onto Shrew as tight as she could.

Cyrus gazed at his Weavile, who nodded and eagerly jumped to obey its master, disappearing into the dark clouds. The unconscious Gyarados, Crobat and Honchkrow were also lifted into the air and pulled into the darkness which soon hid Cyrus out of sight.

As the dark clouds covered Cyrus in their entirety, Dialga and Palkia were suddenly lifted off the air. Just like back when Kris and the others first fought Cyrus, the two legendary Pokémon floated higher and higher into the air until they were well above the temple. Then, they began to fight against each other furiously, firing their strongest attacks while causing explosions and crackles of electricity all around them.

The storm stopped and the clouds around Cyrus disappeared, though there was still a strong gust of wind blowing across the temple and the sky above them was turning purple. As the clouds faded, Cyrus stood at the top of a pillar as before, the Red Chain in hand, looking mostly like he did before – except for a ghostly red aura glowing around him.

" _AT LAST_!"

It wasn't Cyrus who spoke, but a bloodthirsty voice echoing from all around them. Mega Latias swooped down from the sky like a blue and white lightning, stopping to hover above Cyrus, who just turned to look up at her calmly.

" _You finally decided to show yourself!_ " Latias told Cyrus, a bloodthirsty grin on her face. " _I knew it – from the moment you came to me, I knew it!_ _Charon was just a lackey of Cyrus', but no human could have done what he did. It was you all along, wasn't it?_ "

"Who is she talking to?" Lyra whispered at Kris, who shook her head, though at the back of her mind, she had a hunch – a terrible, _terrible_ hunch.

" _Well, answer me!_ " Latias screamed. " _You did it all, didn't you?!_ _You broke me out of there, you impersonated my brother – and you had me captured in the first place! Just to do your bidding!_ "

After taking his time, Cyrus opened his mouth to answer – but his voice was completely different. It sounded like it was amplified by speaker the size of trucks, and it was deeper, more threatening than before, exactly like the voice from the portal:

" _You figured it out, didn't you?_ "

 _****_ , Kris thought.

" _You came close to doing what I wanted in Hoenn_ ," Cyrus (or rather, the creature that had taken him over) said. " _You have to admit, I didn't lie to you about the Enigma Stone. If only if it hadn't been for these_ things _,"_ Cyrus waved at Kris and the others, " _this drama here in Sinnoh could have been averted. I could have opened the portal and made my glorious return_."

" _You tried to destroy that region just to come back here_ ," Latias said, voice quivering with rage. " _You manipulated my friend Mewtwo. And you… you killed my brother, didn't you?_ "

Cyrus smiled.

" _Of course I did_ ," Giratina replied casually. " _Do you think those humans could have gotten to you undetected if it hadn't been for me? My plans were set in motion thousands of years ago, figured out to the minute detail, with a contingency for everything. And no matter how hard human or treacherous Pokémon tried, they failed – I have returned_!"

" _In the body of a human, maybe,"_ Latias taunted. " _How does it feel, hmm? Once the ruler of a dimension, feared by all the inferior creatures – now trapped in something so small, fragile and… mortal_."

" _It's not the perfect option, but it'll do_ ," Giratina said. " _The human who once owned this body sealed his fate when he stepped into the Distortion World at will._ _I was able to take control of his thoughts first, and now I have his entire being at my disposal. Once I gather enough energy to open the portal, I can fuse with my true body and cast aside this weak form_."

" _That's what you do, isn't it?"_ Latias said. " _Cast things aside when they're no longer useful to you._ _My brother gave his life to fight things like you. You should have known better when you creator kicked you out of this world thousands of years ago. I guess I'll have no choice but to send you back to hell myself._ "

Recovering from being knocked across the temple, Mewtwo dragged itself up, holding onto a pillar to stay upright.

" _Latias_!" it called out.

Latias turned to look down on Mewtwo, then to everyone else, stopping at Kris and Iris, who cringed and prepared for the worst.

But the anticipated shot never came – Latias just stared at the two. Or specifically, she seemed to look at something in Kris' arms.

" _Sandshrew_ ," she said, causing Shrew to wriggle out of Kris' arms, hop on the floor and stand on two legs to stare up at Latias. " _Mewtwo_ ," she said, nodding at it. " _You two were right. It's not my place to ask… but I need you to do something_."

" _Latias, stop this_!" Mewtwo yelled up at her. " _I know you want your revenge, but you can't have the plates! These humans have earned a chance to try!_ "

" _I'm not interested in th_ _em_ _,"_ Latias said calmly and turned back to Cyrus/Giratina again. " _You got me good in our last fight. I was out cold for a while, and my vision is still a little blurry… and I can taste blood in my mouth. I'm in no condition to fight_."

" _Then rest!_ " Mewtwo pleaded. " _Now's the chance to stop all this! You can still start over_!"

" _No_ ," Latias said. " _Not after what I've done. I can't_ _ever make it right._ _I suppose neither of us can, huh?_ _But there's still one thing I can do..."_

"No," Iris whispered, apparently realizing what was happening.

" _With the power of the Red Chain, Giratina is almost unstoppable,"_ Latias said firmly. _"_ _Every second we waste allows Dialga and Palkia continue fighting. This will eventually cause a distortion big enough to bleed these two worlds together and allow Giratina to return to full strength."_

Latias looked down again, as everyone were staring at her, Mewtwo struggling to get up and fly over to her, Shrew practically standing on its toes (claws?) to reach out to her.

" _Mewtwo, Sandshrew… and you humans, Kris, Iris_ ," Latias said. " _You might win today,_ _b_ _ut_ _it won't fix everything._ _D_ _on't ever stop the fight._ _Don't end up like me._ _Farewell._ "

" _LATIAS!_ " Mewtwo bellowed.

A red aura appeared around Latias as well as she tucked in her wings and charged full-speed at Cyrus, screaming louder than Mewtwo did. But it wasn't out of rage, fear or pain. It was pure, raw emotion, everything Latias had kept in during the months she had spent as a monster consumed by wrath.

Looking like it didn't even phase him, Cyrus/Giratina turned his scepter towards Latias and fired at full strength. As he fired his red energy beam, a ghostly image of a humongous Pokémon Kris had seen in a picture appeared behind him: a gray, draconic creature with six legs, six yellow claws and six red spikes protruding from its thin, shadowy wings.

The Red Chain's destructive beam practically melted the air around it as it shot towards Latias, but the psychic-type didn't even try to get out of the way. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Latias became consumed by the red light, which was soon followed by a massive explosion and a bright flash of light which briefly blinded everyone at the Spear Pillar.

And Latias' voice echoed across the temple several times until finally falling silent.


	25. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giratina has taken over Cyrus' body and prepares to make worlds collide.

Cyrus smiled triumphantly – or rather, Giratina used his body to do so. As the bright light subsided and the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of Latias.

But as it was about to turn to gloat at its remaining enemies, Giratina was taken aback when Latias seemed to suddenly float right in front of him. Only she looked nothing like before: she was back in her base form, with her healthy round body and big, bright yellow eyes, smiling just like she did before Team Galactic captured her. And she was somewhat translucent.

What was even stranger was that next to her, floated a similarly-translucent Latios, looking as he did before Team Galactic's agents ambushed and killed him. And next to _him_ , floated the ghostly forms of everyone Latias had absorbed – Darkrai, Cresselia and Regigigas.

" _No_!" Giratina yelled. " _You can't be here! I killed you_!"

" _Yup_ ," Latias agreed cheerfully. " _You killed me good_!"

" _And not just her, but all of us she had trapped inside her_ ," Darkrai said. " _Consumed by the power that_ you _gave her, incidentally_."

" _And now it's time for us to go_ ," Latios said, putting his wing around his sister and hugging her. " _But before_ _that, I think we should give a going-away present for our friends down there. What do you think, sis?_ "

" _Sounds like a plan, bro_ ," Latias said.

" _Enough_!" Giratina shouted and aimed the Red Chain at the ghostly Latias – but instead of firing a red beam of energy, the specter broke into pieces while the three red jewels crumbled into paste, causing Giratina to cry out.

" _Oh, but I forgot to tell you, I gave it already_ ," Latias taunted. " _You know, when you killed me_."

" _You made that thing with gems forcibly ripped from Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf_ ," Darkrai explained. " _But as powerful as they are, they aren't a match for the mighty Giratina, right?"_

" _Meaning you don't seem to know your strength, big guy_ ," Latios said. " _Should have not bet your resurrection on a puny human, I guess_."

**~o~O~o~**

Down below, everyone just stared as Cyrus/Giratina screamed at what seemed to be thin air. Only Mewtwo could see who Cyrus was ranting at, but couldn't do anything but stare in sheer shock.

Cyrus' rantings were interrupted as something suddenly struck the shadowy image of Giratina behind him – and it reacted as if it was solid. It was a Skarmory, with Steven Stone and Wallace riding on it. Wallace's Milotic and Steven's Metagross also fired at the Giratina from below, and both Giratina and Cyrus reacted by cringing in pain, dropping the remnants of the Red Chain into the abyss below.

And along with Steven and Wallace, everyone else followed: Morty, Eusine, Dawn, Lucas, Barry, Jupiter and Mars had arrived to the Spear Pillar, along with all their best Pokémon: Morty's Gengar, Eusine's Alakazam, Dawn's Empoleon, Lucas' Torterra, Barry's Infernape, Jupiter's Skuntank and Mars' Purugly all bombarded Giratina with their attacks, not giving it an opportunity to fight back.

Making sure Cyrus was distracted, Cynthia got up and pulled something from her pocket: an old-looking, decorative blue ocarina, prompting a confused look from Kris.

"Sorry, girls, but that thing Cyrus crushed was just a cheap knockoff I bought from Sinnoh," Cynthia explained. "The guy who sold it to me said it could turn time backwards but ehh… anyway, _this_ is the real Azure Flute. You don't think I'd blurt out information like this where Cyrus could hear it, did you? I wanted him to think he had the upper hand. And now…."

And as soon as Cynthia started playing the flute, it began to play a melody on its own – a hollow, echoing melody that reverberated all over the Spear Pillar, causing the pillars and the stone floor to tremble.

As it played on, the fourteen plates Kris and Iris had stuck on the floor glowed in their respective colors. Only now did Kris and Iris see that all of the slots for the plates connected to the pedestal in the middle, which glowed as well. The three plates on the pedestal glowed in reddish brown, silver gray and baby blue, then combined into one, bright, golden light that fired a beam towards the sky.

When the beam passed by Dialga and Palkia, they stopped fighting. The crackling of electricity and the strong wind around the temple stopped, and the now-calmed dragons of time and space began once again disappearing back into their own dimension while a helpless Cyrus/Giratina looked on.

But the miracles didn't stop there. The sky above the Spear Pillar went from purple to bright golden yellow as something emitting the strongest light Kris had ever seen descended towards the Spear Pillar. Even when the light hurt Kris' eyes, she couldn't look away, wanting to catch a glimpse of what was coming down. It was almost impossible to tell with the brightness, but Kris could swear that for a brief time, she saw an outline of an equine-shaped Pokémon, reminding Kris of a mythical creature of some kind, like a Centaur or a Qilin.

But it only lasted a second, and then Kris and everyone else had to avert their eyes as the being that descended glowed even brighter, sending showers of golden light down on the Spear Pillar. As the light hit the temple, unconscious people and Pokémon all around them started getting up. Croc, Iris' Haxorus, Red and his Charizard, Lance and his Dragonite and Aerodactyl, Cynthia's Garchomp and Togekiss… even Mewtwo was restored to full strength as it glowed briefly and transformed back into its smaller, lither Mega Evolved form.

And just a few yards from Kris and Iris, a muffled cry for help was heard under a pillar. Realizing who it was, Kris and Iris whistled at their Pokémon and rushed over to it. With help from Croc and Haxorus, Kris and Iris were able to lift the pillar, and from a hole in the ground that just barely left him enough air to survive, crawled a bruised, battered but clearly relieved Wes. Kris and Iris rushed to hug him, but were forced to stop as he winced in pain.

"I'm okay," Wes muttered at them. "Just… don't touch my ribs right now. What is… whoa!"

Wes, like everyone else, turned to stare at the thing that bathed the temple in a golden light. Cyrus and the shadowy form of Giratina behind it also glared up at it, Cyrus grabbing something from his pocket: a large purple and white Poké Ball with two pink circles on either side and a white letter 'M' between them.

" _You_ ," Cyrus/Giratina hissed at the light. " _You think you've won?! You know you cannot intervene! I'm in the body of a human! You know, a part of that disgusting bacteria that's currently crawling all over your precious world?!_ My _precious world_! _But you know what they say, if you can't beat them… join 'em_!"

Cyrus chucked the Master Ball at the light as hard as he could – but it was unceremoniously shot down by a Shadow Ball from Mewtwo, who had floated on top of another pillar.

" _It's over, Giratina_ ," it said. " _You've failed_."

As Cyrus/Giratina turned to glare at Mewtwo, the golden light started to ascend back towards the sky, slowly and surely disappearing into the clouds until there wasn't a trace of it left. But everyone's Pokémon were now ready to fight – and Giratina stood alone.

"Attack!" Cynthia yelled, and nobody though twice.

Cynthia hopped on her Togekiss and flew towards Giratina, blinding it with a Dazzling Gleam attack while Garchomp slammed into it with a Dragon Rush attack, both Cyrus and Giratina roaring in pain as the attacks hit. Lance didn't hesitate to follow, his Dragonite and Aerodactyl both blasting at Giratina with a simultaneous Hyper Beam.

But it was nothing compared to the barrage of attacks Giratina was about to suffer. As it tried to swipe at Cynthia and Lance with its claws, Steven's Metagross's Meteor Mash and Wallace's Milotic's Ice Beam stopped it. This gave everyone else to gather their attacks: Croc's Hydro Cannon, Scorch's Blast Burn, Shrew's Rock Slide, Haxorus' Draco Meteor, Charizard's Fire Blast, Gengar's and Purugly's Shadow Balls, Skuntank's and Infernape's Flamethrower, Alakazam's Psychic, Empoleon's Flash Cannon and Torterra's Solarbeam all hit it simultaneously, breaking even the powerful barrier Giratina/Cyrus had put around it.

The shadowy form of Giratina disappeared, as did the red aura around Cyrus. The force of the explosion sent plummeting down the same cliff he tried to throw Kris and Iris off, hurtling towards the last remaining portal opened by his thoughtlessness. But to make sure Cyrus would never return again, Mewtwo floated higher, and with precision aiming, launched a Shadow Ball attack down at Cyrus, causing another explosion that closed the last portal for good.

As the barrier between the worlds returned to its normal state, so did the world around them. The weather turned calm again and the sky above Sinnoh returned to its usual color. Aside from the massive destruction around the Spear Pillar, there were no signs that anything unusual had happened at all.

In other words, peace had returned.

**~o~O~o~**

" _This is Kinsey from Jubilife TV, reporting live from the base of Mt. Coronet._ _The unusual weather phenomena plaguing the Sinnoh region have come to an end. Having lasted for several weeks, people nationwide reported erratic weather, bizarre electrical storms and unusual lights at the sky, the Mt. Coronet area of Sinnoh having suffered the worst of it. Having stymied even the veteran researchers of Hoenn's Mossdeep Space Center and Weather Institute, these strange events have finally been explained. An expert endorsed by Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia, has confirmed these events to be a temporary disruption in the Earth's magnetosphere, which has caused no damage to the planet's ecology or its inhabitants, this rare event being only, we quote, 'a minor annoyance'._ "

" _We are pleased to report that the region was never in any harm and the people of Sinnoh can safely roam the streets once again_."

**~o~O~o~**

A few days after the events on Mt. Coronet, everything returned to its usual state. Only members of the Legendary Pokémon Society knew the truth of what happened there, apart from Eusine. While the once Suicune-obsessed man wasn't told the whole truth and was sent on a bogus assignment afterward, he was still allowed to stay in the organization, having proven himself during the battle against Cyrus. Morty returned to his gym, Wallace returned to hosting Contests and other events while Steven Stone continued to wander the Hoenn region in search of rare stones, trying his best to ignore his father's attempts to make Steven work for the Devon Corporation.

As for Cynthia and Lance, they had their own assignment.

The two landed to their destination, far away from Sinnoh, next to a ruined temple. Called the Sinjoh Ruins, the temple was a place where two clans from Johto and Sinnoh met and built a temple to worship the deity Arceus. Though archeologists have had an interest in the ruins for a long time, the Legendary Pokémon Society had used all of its connections to keep people out of the area – which wasn't hard to do, considering its extremely remote location.

As Cynthia gazed upon the snow-covered arched entrance to the half-collapsed temple, she sighed mournfully. Lance immediately took notice of this.

"Something wrong?" he asked, concerned. "You cold?"

"No, just thinking," Cynthia murmured. "It feels bad we deceived those kids like this."

"They're practically almost adults, anyway," Lance pointed out. "Besides, what were we supposed to do? We tell them, and the next thing we know, half of the world realizes just how close they were to ending up as Giratina's food."

Cynthia smiled a bit – not everyone appreciated Lance's dark sense of humor (and the matter-of-fact way he expressed it) but she was used to it by now.

"But that Kris really wanted to be one of us," she said sadly. "And unlike some of the people in our group, she earned it."

"I'm not going to argue that," Lance said, "but she's still green. If anything, I think we're doing her a favor. I doubt she'll bug us about joining for a while. Far as she knows, she played her part and helped us prevent a dangerous madman from killing a bunch of people. To her, it's done."

"Too bad it isn't, huh?" Cynthia asked.

"Yeah," Lance said quietly. "Not by a long shot. I wonder what we're going to find here."

He turned towards Cynthia. "Ladies first," he smirked and gestured at the temple.

"Great, let me get fall in the spiky pit of doom first," Cynthia joked, but stepped in nonetheless, Lance following suit.

**~o~O~o~**

Indeed, as far as Kris and the gang knew, they helped the Legendary Pokémon Society stop Cyrus before she activated some kind of superweapon on Mt. Coronet, with the Giratina-related stuff being just some crazy junk Cyrus believed in. Memory modification was just one of the many things the LPS had to do that they weren't proud of, but they all agreed it had to be done.

The incident between Kanto and Fiore had indeed been a diversion by Cyrus, with the dimensional disturbance there being easily closed by Bill. As they promised, May and Brendan returned to Hoenn. Lunick, on the other hand, had vanished well before the LPS got to tamper with his memory, though they doubted he'd try to go public with what he knew.

As for the gang on Mt. Coronet, Jupiter and Mars quickly split from the group after the memory operation and went underground somewhere in Sinnoh – literally, that is, as Jupiter still wanted that treasure. Even if Kris had guaranteed them protection from the law, they decided not to take any chances.

Mewtwo had also vanished after the incident. Kris had called Blaine after everything to tell about how Mewtwo had another Mega Evolution and how it had saved the day again, also asking him what he thought Mewtwo would do next. Blaine was quiet a bit before answering:

" _That depends on what it wants to do_ ," he simply said. " _Now it gets to really experience a part of life it_ _has never tried before._ "

"What's that?" Kris asked.

" _It gets to choose_."

Dawn, Lucas and Barry had left for their next destination, the Fiore region. While there was still animosity, the trio agreed to travel together for now, and it seemed like even Barry had cut down on his snark.

Kris, Iris, Lyra and Wes accompanied Dawn, Lucas and Barry to the Jubilife City Airport and saw them off as they hopped on the plane to Fiore. After the Sinnoh trio was gone, however, the four gathered together in an awkward "where do we go from here" -moment.

"Well..." Wes said, being the first to speak up after the Sinnoh trio had boarded the plane. "Some adventure, huh?"

"Yeah, and you actually made a meaningful contribution," Kris deadpanned. "I didn't think I'd live to see the day."

Wes chuckled joylessly, then winced and held onto his ribs, prompting a concerned look from Iris.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked. "You should have stayed in that hospital a bit longer."

"Yeah, well, I'll make do with these delicious painkillers they gave me," Wes said and shook a bottle of pills in his pocket. "Besides, I need to get back to Orre to see my mom and sis. I'm not too worried about what Cheren said, but I'd still like to check in, just in case."

Kris frowned at Wes for talking about it so openly. "So you told-"

"Every word, to both of them, while you were talking to Blaine," Wes said quietly.

"We understood it," Iris said.

"I called him a scumbag!" Lyra piped in.

"But we're still good," Wes confirmed.

Kris smiled. "Here's something I never thought I'd say when we first met, but… it was good meeting you. You leaving now?"

"'Fraid so," Wes said and pointed at the large screen showing the departing and arriving flights. "Got my ticket ready as well. You guys feel free to come to Orre at any time, though. It's great if you like, uh… sand."

Kris gave him a brief hug while Iris almost choked him with her hug.

"We'll meet again, I'm sure," he said and patted Iris on the back.

When Iris was finally done a few minutes later and trying her best to look like she wasn't crying, Wes went in for a hug with Lyra, but when Lyra didn't seem to get it, he settled for an awkward handshake before he left for his terminal.

"Guess I'll be going too," Lyra said and showed Kris and Iris a brochure she picked up.

It was about the Unova region and the Pokémon League they had there. There were plenty of Pokémon there that couldn't be found anywhere else, a tempting idea for sure.

"I can't exactly afford a flight, but I think I figured out a way to get there cheap," Lyra said proudly. "I'll make my way on trains and boats and hitchhiking, earning my way by battling and doing work, I don't care if I have to scrub a deck or serve seafood to obnoxious rich tourists, I'm ready for anything. Whaddyathink, Kris, bet you haven't thought of that, huh?"

Kris and Iris glanced at each other, trying to keep a straight face.

"Gotta say, never crossed my mind," Kris said. "Great idea, Lyra. You sure about Unova, though?"

"Absolutely, I've _always_ wanted to go!" Lyra said cheerfully, then turned to Iris. "You sure not coming along? You're going to be taking over a gym soon, right?"

"I am," Iris said, "but not just yet. There's still stuff to do here. Some loose ends. I'm sure you understand."

"Eh, not really, but it's your life," Lyra said with a shrug. She then turned to look at Kris, though her face turned a little redder and she couldn't quite look her in the eye. "So, uh, Kris, this is gonna sound a bit weird, but… you and me… we're good, right?"

"Lyra, trust me, we're good," Kris said firmly. "We'll keep in touch, I promise! You can tell me all about Unova then."

"Great!" Lyra squealed. "Uh, I mean… well, bye then!"

With a nervous wave, Lyra turned around and left the airport, though Kris noticed an unusual amount of pep in her step. Iris raised an eyebrow at Kris.

"Did you really mean that?" she asked.

"Oh, Arceus, no!" Kris sighed. "But she did save my life, and it would be kinda selfish of me to hold on a grudge after that, so… working on it."

Iris nodded, then turned to look at a young man on a bench. Sitting between an old woman holding a Glameow in her lap and a man reading a newspaper, the young man wore a thick brown trench coat, sunglasses, a scarf covering his face and a wide-rimmed hat obscuring parts of his head. This was a big city, so no one really questioned it. When Iris nodded at him, the young man stood up and walked over to them. When he was close enough, he finally dared to remove his sunglasses, hat and scarf, revealing his reddish brown eyes and black, spiky hair.

"Sorry for the hassle," Red whispered to Kris and Iris. "I'm still not ready to come out of hiding just yet. But trust me, I will meet up with Yellow as soon as I'm able."

"It's fine," Kris assured. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Making sure no one was listening, Red leaned closer to Kris and Iris and muttered: "I may have a lead on this prophecy thing. There's an icebreaker called S.S. Spiral in Snowpoint City. A friend of mine I'm sure you both know is going to meet you there. But Kris, this prophecy, to decipher it would require traveling all over the world just to get the different pieces, and _then_ you'd need someone to be able to translate it… it's kind of a hassle."

"Hassle is better than boring," Kris said with a shrug. "Trust me, we're okay with traveling. I feel like this is what I'm meant to do, you know?"

"And I'll keep her company as long as I can," Iris said. "There's still a lot that I want to see and learn before I take over the gym."

Smiling at them, Red put his hat, sunglasses and scarf back on again. Giving them a thumbs up, Red left and soon disappeared into the crowd. Chattering excitedly, Kris and Iris left the airport to prepare for their trip towards Snowpoint, wondering where their journey would take them next.

But as they left, the man on the bench reading a newspaper stared on, stroking his finely groomed black mustache.

"Soon, my friends," Missile mused to himself. "Soon."

**~o~O~o~**

_**Somewhere in Johto…** _

Elder Li, the old leader of the Legendary Pokémon Society, was on his knees in a large, empty temple hidden in the wilderness of Johto. Mumbling to himself, Li didn't initially notice a man sneaking towards him. But when he finally caught on, he chuckled to himself.

"You're quite good," he laughed. "No one has managed to sneak up on me in fifty years."

Li got up and turned around lazily to look at the intruder. It was Silver, accompanied by his Sneasel.

"So, you're his son," Li mused as he stared at Silver. "I have to say, when we first met in the Sprout Tower, I wasn't expecting this. I hope you at least took my advice into consideration."

"I did," Silver told him.

Li's eyes turned to the large, sharp dagger in Silver's hand. "You sure about that?" he asked with an amused tone.

"I have to find out if what my father said was true," Silver said simply and threw the dagger at Li as hard as he could.

Li didn't even flinch, simply flicked the knife away with his fingers, but with enough impact to send the dagger flying to the opposite side of the room, hitting a wall and sinking deep enough to stick in it. Silver scoffed.

"You're not human," he said.

"Surely your father didn't say that?" Li laughed. "I was born a human, you know. I simply took some measures of… self-improvement."

"Would that include making a deal with Giratina?" a threatening voice asked from the shadows.

Giovanni emerged from the dark corner of the temple and walked to Silver's side, the large man towering over his medium-sized son.

"See that symbol, Silver?" Giovanni asked. "Take a close look."

Silver looked at the floor beneath them. Painted on the floor was a symbol, a large, dark purple circle with six spikes protruding in every direction from it. The same symbol was also painted on every wall and in the ceiling as well – six in total.

"Circle of the Torn World," Giovanni mused. "A group of Giratina-worshipers."

Silver shook his head. "I don't understand!" he snapped at Li. "You helped my friends stop Giratina!"

Li just smiled and shook his head. "We don't need to go through all this. I'm sure your father has told you everything. Suffice to say, I wasn't going to let someone like Cyrus determine what our brave new world is going to be like. He was just about destruction. I'm all about _creating_ something. And to do that, Lord Giratina must return in _our_ terms!"

"Do it," Giovanni told Silver. "He practically admitted it. It's okay to do it!"

Silver didn't budge. His Sneasel looked at him in concern. There was another dagger in his pocket, but all Silver saw in front of him was a frail old man who partly inspired Silver to become who he was now – a better person. Or so he wanted to believe anyway.

"You know I can't do it myself!" Giovanni pressured Silver. "Do it now!"

"Perhaps your boy needs more motivation," Li said.

Without warning, the old man lunged at Silver, but Silver's reflexes were as sharp as ever. At his command, Silver's Sneasel stopped Li's advance with a barrage of Ice Shards, allowing Silver to pull out his dagger and hit Li square in the chest.

And Silver's suspicions were confirmed, when, instead of dropping to the ground and bleeding like a normal person, Li disappeared into a dark cloud, as if dragged into darkness, leaving only his colorful robes behind. Panting heavily, Silver collapsed on the floor, staring at Li's robes, crumpled right in the middle of the ominous symbol.

"You did the right thing," Giovanni assumed. "But I must still ask you to make sure. Are you ready for the next stage of our plan?"

Silver bit his lip. "Yes… father."

**-THANKS FOR READING! NEXT PART IN THIS SERIES: "UNDER THE SAME SKY"-**


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